Industrial metaverse: the factory of the future

In the modern market, manufacturing it is considered the most complex industry. As the pace of change accelerates, it demands the adoption of new and highly sophisticated digital technologies.

Right now, the word metaverse is used like the word internet was in the 1990s. Although it may seem like a hypothetical concept, the metaverse is an upgraded version of augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality.

While the metaverse is not a new concept, it is still in the nascent stage of dominating the airwaves. However, as you peel back the layers around the metaverse hype, you’ll find that there are some substantial applications of this cutting-edge technology seeping into the manufacturing industry.

Also, the opportunities for the metaverse in the industrial sector are still in the balance, but they are coming to light. Also, as we move into the third quarter of 2022, we see the metaverse take on a horde of forms, and it looks like the industrial metaverse is taking a huge leap forward.

brands like Amazon they have already started investing in the industrial metaverse.

Virtual factory: a reality or a concept of digital images?

In this age of digital identities, conventional manufacturing processes are being replaced by new age techniques. Just as Industry 4.0 (Industrial IoT) represents the future of manufacturing, the metaverse is poised to unleash a new era of custom avatars for the industrial sector.

Now, starting with the nitty-gritty: a virtual factory is a real concept, not just a sci-fi fad. It is a factory set up in a virtual environment where users can inspect, interact and immerse themselves in factorial design on a realistic scale. In a nutshell, virtual factories display a 3D representation of the factory floor, including industrial equipment or machinery.

Entering the manufacturing industry, the digital factory metaverse opens up great potential for production companies. It enables factory owners to design, develop, and test products in a simulated environment. What form the metaverse factories will take is still unknown, but a panoply of production plants or factories have begun to make inroads into the industrial metaverse space to fuel innovation.

For example, when opening a virtual plastic screw factory in the metaverseSouth Korea’s research institute, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has laid out a model for others to follow. They have created a test model as an experiment to monitor manufacturing processes and operate machines in a virtual setup using VR headsets. The beauty of this solution is that it allows operators to apply new configurations to the plant without shutting down the entire factory.

Industrial Metaverse: A Virtual World of Infinite Possibilities

Given the right mix of vision and execution, manufacturing companies can scratch the surface of the metaverse and have endless possibilities in the future. These are some of the applications of the industrial metaverse:

1. Remote training on site

The goal of the industrial metaverse is to use technology to provide a safe work environment for workers, as safety is a primary concern when dealing with people in a physical factory environment.

Therefore, by working in a real-life replica of a production plant, a trainee or inexperienced worker can learn how to use or maintain the equipment while remaining in a hazard-free environment. Therefore, with this in mind, many industrial companies have opted for a metaverse and virtual reality-first approach rather than a real-world-first approach. This modus operandi allows them to perform:

• Virtual visits and face-to-face training for multi-users;
• On-the-job guidance for heavy equipment;
• Self-guided onboarding of workers;
• Hands-on training in a risk-free, remote environment.

2. Product Assembly

With the rapid advances in digital twin technology, the industrial metaverse has much to offer production teams. A digital twin is nothing more than a virtual representation of physical objects, locations, and processes.

The industrial metaverse enables the creation of digital twins of the industrial environment to monitor and interact with complex systems in real time using AI, IoT and VR. This enables the assembly team to design, develop, and assemble digital twins of physical products and processes on virtual assembly lines, including:

• Collection of information on the status and behavior of the monitored machines;
• Transportation of heavy equipment or systems such as conveyor belts;
• Real-time process data capture using sensors and actuators;
• Connect different processes, information flows and stakeholders.

3. Virtual sales and marketing

With imagination being the only limit in the industrial metaverse, marketers are drawn to advanced virtual marketing experiences that outperform digital billboards. Right now, brands are focused on two important aspects: user engagement and visual appeal; and metaverse is a ticket to market your product in a virtual setting.

The right time to adopt the test-and-learn mindset is now. Marketing teams need to think about implementing metaverse marketing strategies and generating value from them. The Industrial metaverse offers a wide range of sales and marketing opportunities to field marketing executives, enabling them to:

• Merchandise virtual products alongside physical inventory;
• Open a virtual store to display your products;
• Recreate the fidelity of real-life communication;
• Trade goods and earn money in a digital environment.

Big profits in the future

The industrial metaverse has the potential to offer real added value to manufacturers in both the digital and physical realms. From improving worker and robot safety to improving predictive maintenance, metaverse brings a lot to the shop floor. Here are some of the advantages of the industrial metaverse:

• More collaborative product development;
• Supply chain transparency;
• Fast production process;
• Shorten the life cycle of the product;
• Reduction of the margin of production error;
• Lower return and abandonment rates.

Industrial Metaverse: The Path to the Future

The current wave of digital transformation and the rise of Gen Z have led to metaverse technology infiltrating every industry. However, since rebranding from Facebook to Meta, industrial companies are jumping on the bandwagon to carve out their place in the modern marketplace. And it seems that the day is not far away when manufacturing companies will plunge into the world of the metaverse with immense possibilities.

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