What is the industrial metaverse?
A working definition from MIT Sloan
industrial metaverse (noun)
An interactive, immersive 3D environment that replicates real machines, factories, cities, and other complex systems.
Though the collaborative virtual experience known as the metaverse has been most closely associated with consumer pursuits, the industrial sector is beginning to use the technology to solve real-world business problems more easily and less expensively.
The industrial version of the metaverse taps the power of tools like digital twins, artificial intelligence, high-fidelity simulations, extended reality, blockchain, 5G connectivity, and cloud and edge computing.
As detailed in a paper from MIT Technology Review and Siemens, the industrial metaverse allows businesses to model and test designs in real time before committing resources to a project. Use cases include improving design and engineering, virtual commissioning and plant design, enhancing operations, and upskilling employees.
The industrial metaverse is poised to be instrumental in supporting more resilient supply chains and localized manufacturing, Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton said at a recent event. “We have the ability to build, experiment, and virtually use the forces of nature on something before it even exists and then make a decision about what we actually want to build in the real world.”
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