By Jeremy Cook
Anybody navigating a return to the office knows that many managers believe there’s no substitute for actually being somewhere in person. This could apply to sales, where a handshake is more impactful than a wave over a webcam, or when troubleshooting, where a range of sensory inputs can help you understand a machine’s state. But at other times, being physically present is impractical due to travel requirements, or could involve entering a dangerous environment. That's where technology, specifically the collision of industry 4.0 and the metaverse can play a very helpful role.
Industry 4.0 can be defined as the integration of sensors and computing resources into industrial processes and design. The metaverse, as described here, is the idea of a unified virtual network, accessible via smart devices and even VR equipment for full immersion into the virtual network. If the metaverse is the future of collaborative computing, combing the powerful data acquisition of industry 4.0 with the collaboration of the metaverse creates many opportunities for industrial applications.
The concepts embraced by Industry 4.0 allow for data acquisition that goes far beyond human capabilities, whether in person or “metaversing-in” remotely. One application could be a fully remote laboratory setup where you can remotely perform experiments while being able to see, hear, and even feel the results from some distance away. It could also mean being on-site to view equipment, while using augmented reality to view and modify virtual entities, perhaps with other experts virtually looking over your shoulder for support.
We’ve been able to log into machinery remotely or in person for many years, but metaverse concepts (which one might have previously called “telepresence”) will only grow in importance. For an immediate application, imagine an engineer remotely troubleshooting a machine with an on-site technician. In addition to audible communication, they can simultaneously share video and other information. Visibly pointing at sensor X in a technician’s AR headset, or even sharing troubleshooting data in real-time, could be much quicker and more effective than simple verbal feedback.
Near-Term Industrial Metaverse Applications
The industrial metaverse goes well beyond machine troubleshooting. Collaborative design is another ongoing application, largely in the form of remote presentations and screen sharing. Consider existing collaborative CAD tools that allow multiple users to work together in the same space on a design, and easily get buy-in and input from other members of the team. Soon, a team could potentially “step into” a design together in the metaverse for enhanced collaboration. Other exciting metaverse /industry 4.0 concepts in the near future will likely include:
- Outside Support: Consider again the machine troubleshooting scenario. While an in-house engineer might be the person doing the primary troubleshooting, consider that outside experts could also be brought in virtually at a moment’s notice to help resolve a particularly puzzling issue.
- Training: Presentations can be helpful but being able to virtually step into a scenario—or to have a trainer look over your shoulder in an AR/metaverse setup—would be much better.
- Sales: Vendors could allow potential customers to examine every aspect of a product, potentially even virtually fitting a new “thing” into a digitized assembly line or end product.
The Future of the Metaverse in Industry
Collaboration, support, training, and sales appear to be where the metaverse and Industry 4.0 will continue to come together in the near future. But what about a decade from now, and beyond? The current trend is toward continued data gathering and virtualization. With this in mind, we can expect:
- Virtual Diagnosis and Predictive Maintenance: With the help of digital twin data we can more accurately model the state of each machine. This will allow engineers to virtually inspect machinery, diagnose issues, and schedule detailed predictive maintenance, ultimately making design changes so issues don’t occur in the first place.
- Virtual Testing: New factory equipment could be virtually installed to evaluate improvements. With VR-style metaverse interactions, feedback from machine operators and other stakeholders could be obtained and taken into account before anything physical is changed.
- echnical Information Access: Machinery operators and on-site technicians could have entire operating procedures and machine manuals ready to access on AR equipment. Real-time machine data and statistics could also be available.
- Factory Tours and Education: Factory tours for the general public are typically limited to highlights, and engineering students often have little idea of the challenges that they’ll see once on the job. Metaverse interactions combined with industry 4.0 data could allow for a much deeper understanding of manufacturing and engineering processes.
Industry 4.0 and The Metaverse: Here Today, Stronger Tomorrow
The terms industry 4.0 and the metaverse are thrown about as concepts of tomorrow, or perhaps new ideas for the 2020s, pushed forward by the need for remote working at the beginning of this decade. At the same time, being able to control and operate industrial machinery remotely was coming into its own in the early 2000s, and online communities were already flourishing (including some strikingly metaverse-like examples, like Second Life that debuted in 2003).
Both concepts have existed in some form for years, and we’ve already seen these worlds start to combine. As the technology evolves, we can expect improvements in how work is performed and ultimately in product quality.
