Unity Report: Emerging Tech Trends

/

The rapid evolution of emergent technologies continues to reshape industries, with organizations adapting their processes to stay ahead of the curve.

Unity, developers of a cross-platform game engine, released a report on industry trends for 2024, gathering insights from experts across various sectors and offering perspectives on the technologies expected to drive significant impact in 2024 and beyond. 

From automotive to energy, the report explores the transformative trends that are shaping the future of technology and business.

Here’s a summary of some of the trends Unity identified. 

Mainstreaming XR Adoption with Wearable Headsets and AI

The future of XR hinges on wearable headsets, and experts emphasize the significance of intuitive and lightweight hardware. Bulky and expensive XR hardware are holding adoption back, but advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are accelerating XR development. The key to mainstream XR adoption, akin to smartphones, lies in lightweight devices that seamlessly integrate into an industrial environment.

“AI is crucial in speeding up XR development and enabling us to reach higher quality more quickly. With AI, we will be able to address the challenges in creating a 3D digital world. However, we need to operate carefully because AI can bring advantages and disadvantages.”

- Gianluca Cernigliaro, XR Technical Coordinator, i2CAT Foundation 

Tapping into Big Data for Greater Operational Efficiency

Big data continues to be a game-changer across industries. The report explores how organizations are leveraging big data to enhance operational efficiency. From predictive digital twins to AI-driven insights, enterprises are tapping into vast datasets to optimize processes, minimize downtime, and prioritize tasks effectively.

Improving Facilities Management with AI, AR, and Digital Twins

Facilities management is undergoing a transformation through the convergence of AI, augmented reality (AR), and digital twins. The report discusses how AI-driven predictive maintenance, enhanced digital twins, and passthrough AR technology are revolutionizing operations, optimizing efficiency, and unlocking new levels of productivity in diverse industries.

“By harnessing AI algorithms to analyze historical data, equipment logs, and maintenance records, facility managers can identify patterns and anomalies that signal potential equipment failures.”

- David Castaneda, Co-founder, Visionaries 777 and Inspekly

Driving Energy Transition with Data Visibility

The energy industry is experiencing significant changes driven by digitization and increased transparency in emissions data. The report explores how data visibility is reshaping operational efficiency, safety, and environmental performance. Advanced analytics and machine learning are being deployed to forecast equipment failures, identify leaks early, and more.

Using Digital Twins to Democratize Data

Democratizing data and insights is identified as a key trend shaping the future of technology in the energy industry. The report explains how AI and digital twins enable organizations to access, analyze, and act on data in unprecedented ways. Examples illustrate how visual insights, optimization and control, and innovation and design can benefit businesses in 2024.

Read the full report on Unity’s website.

Want to hear directly from Unity on one of the biggest industrial tech trends…digital twins?  

Then be sure to attend the keynote at Industrial Digital Twin Forum @ Industrial Immersive Week, March 5-7 in Houston.

Taking Digital Twins to the Next Level

Join Unity's Elissa Coughlin, Global Director of Industry Strategic Partnerships, to hear about what the world's leading real-time 3D company is doing in the energy space with digital twins, hear about industry use cases, common pitfalls and how to be successful.