How Far Can the Industrial Metaverse Go?

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Early adopter enterprises are deploying successful immersive technologies all the time. And while we hear the term “metaverse” tied to these experiences, most enterprises aren’t working in the metaverse quite yet. 

But the potential for the industrial metaverse—just as with consumer metaverse applications—is already being foretold in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and other industries. 

At an IIoT World 2022 session on the industrial metaverse, panelists shared what they’ve seen as the benefits, challenges, use cases, and future of this emerging technology. In some industries, like infrastructure and manufacturing, the metaverse is expected to disrupt the way things are currently done. 

In manufacturing settings, for example, engineering and development can happen in virtual environments, bringing teams from around the world together. Boeing is headed that way already. 

In infrastructure, the metaverse has applications from start to finish. Immersive technology is being used throughout the AEC process, and digital twins are changing the game in asset inspection and management. 

At this point, most immersive applications are happening in silos, with enterprise-wide integration in the early stages. For example, ExxonMobil has plans for building its industrial metaverse, but there’s still a long way to go. 

Challenges exist to completely integrated industrial metaverse applications:

  • Fragmented data collection, storage, and analysis

  • Concerns about cybersecurity

  • Individual privacy and human rights concerns

  • Regulatory gray areas

  • Reliable, secure connectivity (e.g., 5G)

  • High data processing and energy consumption needs

There are a lot of considerations to think about when bringing an industrial metaverse to life. And doing so requires inter-enterprise as well as intra-enterprise coordination. 

The world is changing, and while some might see the metaverse as a disruption, we’re just starting to see its eruption.