By now you have no doubt heard about one of the most popular buzzwords of 2022 — “the metaverse” — but what exactly is it and what’s the point of it? Well, not only are we here to help you understand what the metaverse is, we are going to add a little complexity to the situation and throw in a new buzzword in the form of ”the industrial metaverse”. And we will explain how you can leverage the latest in voice-enabled AR technology – cımō by mōzıware – to access and get the most from it.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to blast off to the metaverse!
The Metaverse Explained
The metaverse, in its broadest terms, is a network of graphically rich 3D virtual worlds, where people can work, play, shop, socialize — in short, enabling humans to do things they normally do in real life, online. The three main elements of the metaverse are a VR interface, digital ownership, and avatars. Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that the value of the metaverse is expected to reach $800B by 2025 with that figure climbing close to $2.5T by 2030.
These complex digital environments rely on a few distinct layers:
- Infrastructure: connectivity technologies like 5G, WiFi, cloud tech, and hi-tech materials like GPUs (Graphics Processing Units)
- Human interface: VR headsets, AR glasses, haptics, and other technologies that users will leverage to join and participate in the metaverse
- Decentralization: blockchain, artificial intelligence, edge computing
- Spatial computing: 3D visualization and modeling frameworks
- Creator economy: an assortment of design tools, digital assets, and e-commerce establishments
- Discovery: the content engine driving engagement, including ads, social media, ratings, reviews, etc.
- Experiences: VR equivalents of digital apps for gaming, events, work, shopping, etc.
The Industrial Metaverse Explained
The industrial metaverse is part of this network, where the metaverse is explicitly used to simulate real-world experiences in a virtual setting and then, typically, translated back into real-world activities. The industrial metaverse will transform the way every physical asset — buildings, planes, cars, robots, etc. — on the planet is created. Remote collaboration is a key feature of the industrial metaverse in which many users can access the same data at the same time and interact with each other virtually. Real-time positioning then adds another layer to this as it allows a person’s position to be tracked in real time that is rendered in the 3D world complete with avatars and defining information.
These immersive 3D environments can be viewed on most devices (i.e., smartphones, iPads, or a wearable headset) and will allow for a user-friendly experience. Things like sales and product marketing, onsite training conducted from a distance, and remote maintenance and troubleshooting will all be conducted in a virtual setting in the not-so-distant future. While some of these applications will use virtual reality, it’s more likely to use ‘mixed reality’ or ‘augmented reality’ in which data is overlaid in the real world allowing operators to make use of the real-time data in an industrial setting. Connectivity problems are currently being streamlined by other technologies such as 5G and high-speed satellite links to deliver the necessary bandwidth for remote industrial applications.
Industrial Metaverse Use Cases
There are two main metaverse use cases that are important to understand: digital twins and product development processes.
Taking Digital Twins to the Next Level
Digital twins are digital replicas of real-world scenarios which also include the use of real-world data to simulate various products or processes which have yet to be implemented.
While digital twins do exist in the industry, the industrial metaverse will help take this simulation environment to the next level. Despite the fact that digital twins replicate existing equipment, the industrial metaverse doesn’t require connection with physical assets.
Being able to simulate and test thousands of various scenarios in an industrial metaverse environment will allow manufacturers to select the best strategies for their organizations.
This not only gives them real-time access to how their machinery is performing but also lets them observe the results of upscaling or downscaling solutions out into the future.
Product Development Processes
Another great use case revolves around how the industrial metaverse will impact the product development process. Currently, it can take a good amount of time to go from idea to product in the industrial environment with an 8-year cycle time not being unusual. The main reason for this is that the main players in an organization such as sales, R&D, product management, and production often operate in silos.
The industrial metaverse, however, can eliminate those silos and allow interdisciplinary teams to interact with each other and the customer virtually, thus improving communication and collaborative working and decreasing product development cycle times.
Some Other Industrial Metaverse Use Cases
Besides those industrial metaverse use cases, there are a whole host of others which include:
- Boosting brand awareness via utilization of virtual factory / store walks and interactive assembly lines
- Virtual presentations of products and services
- Layout, performance, and mutual interaction simulations of machines, plants, supply chains, and even whole ecosystems
- Asset management
- Payments that are transacted via blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
- Collaborative Research & Development for design, simulations, and testing of products and services
- Leveraging the voice of digital customers to help improve real-world customer experiences (simulating human behavior)
- Virtual selection of service providers
- Sales and operations planning optimization based on simulated data
- Testing environments for sustainable solutions and processes
Benefits of the Industrial Metaverse
The benefits of the industrial metaverse are both numerous and impressive, with some being:
- Safety: by not having to connect directly to current assets, dangerous scenarios can be tested without putting humans at risk
- Personalization: simulating how products or processes would respond to different customer specifications
- Efficiency: by testing in virtual environments tremendous cost savings are achieved
- Innovation: costs savings gained through efficiency can be re-invested into innovation
- Prediction: simulation allows for prediction of future outcomes and incidents
How mōzıware is Leading the Charge to the Industrial Metaverse
mōzıware is a pioneer in accelerating digital transformation through leading-edge wearable technologies and solutions for the industrial sector and beyond. Their mission is to create an ecosystem of solutions that leverage Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IOT) technologies to empower executives and frontline workers to make smarter, safer, and faster decisions, resulting in increased productivity, improved safety, optimized workflows, and reduced costs.
As we have discussed in this article, one of the main elements of both the metaverse and industrial metaverse is connecting via an Augmented Reality interface which is where mōzıware has you covered…
Introducing cımō by mōzıware
cımō brings you the latest in voice-activated, hands-free, remote collaboration and data capture technology with the world’s first pocket-sized wearable computer, extending the reach and capabilities of your workforce and turning any user with a cımō headset into a virtual expert by connecting you and your team to the industrial metaverse. Some of the most important features of cımō include:
- Lightweight, compact design that fits comfortably in your pocket
- Intuitive voice controls and easy-to-use interface enables total hands-free operation
- Two HDR cameras improve the user’s field of view and allow users and collaborators to view from multiple angles and zoom in and out
- Laser pointer allows users and viewers to quickly focus on objects and task at hand
- Durable design that is drop, dust, and water resistant and can be easily cleaned with alcohol wipes, ideal for industrial environments
- Smart connectivity to enterprise systems, 200+ Android apps, and third-party IoT devices and wearables
- Industry-leading security with fingerprint recognition technology for user authentication
- Extended battery pack and hot swappable battery ensure no downtime
- Real-time collaboration through video and voice chat and Advanced AI-powered decision support empowers users to work smarter, safer, and faster
cımō improves communication and collaboration by creating a digitally-enabled workforce. It can be used across a range of industries empowering frontline workers from the field to the operating room:
- Aeronautical
- Agriculture
- Automotive
- Education
- Food processing
- Healthcare
- Law enforcement
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Real Estate
- Retail Utilities
Request a Demo Today
Contact us today to see how cımō can transform the way you work, and secure first mover advantage in the industrial metaverse!
