Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology

Industrial Metaverse

The industrial metaverse connects the real and virtual worlds in industrial production.

What is the industrial metaverse?

The industrial metaverse is an immersive, networked digital ecosystem that connects the real world of industry with the virtual world. The use of digital twins, real-time data, and simulations creates a new dimension of industrial value creation that is independent of physical limitations.

In the industrial metaverse, production facilities are brought to life as digital replicas. These digital twins enable the visualization, analysis, optimization, and safe simulation of complex processes. Companies can thus interact with their digital factory in real time, make data-driven decisions, and make their processes more flexible, sustainable, and future-proof.

This development marks a transformation in industry: technological opportunities are increasingly arising from the digital networking of people, machines, and data, rather than from physical limitations. The industrial metaverse supports more precise planning, reliable control, and adaptable production processes, and integrates innovation into industrial operations.

How does the industrial metaverse work?

The industrial metaverse is fundamentally changing how industrial systems are developed, operated, and optimized. It connects the physical and digital worlds into a continuous, data-driven environment in which digital twins, artificial intelligence, networked sensors, and immersive technologies work together seamlessly. The goal is to make industrial processes more transparent, efficient, and flexible – in real time and across company boundaries. The following components and principles illustrate how the industrial metaverse works and which technologies make it possible.

Digital twins as a key element

The industrial metaverse is based on digital twins that precisely map and integrate physical systems in the digital world in real time. They enable the simulation, analysis, and optimization of industrial processes, not in isolation, but in a networked and adaptive manner. This creates a new standard for transparent, flexible, and dynamic industrial processes.

Data consistency and real-time capability

The digital twin aggregates and synchronizes real-time data from sensors, machines, and IoT systems. This creates a consistent database for simulations, predictions, and decisions, which serves as the central basis for all other functions of the industrial metaverse.

Networked and scalable systems

Digital twins can be linked to form comprehensive production ecosystems – from individual devices to global factory networks. The industrial metaverse is scalable, interoperable, and can be used for a wide variety of industrial scenarios.

Immersive collaboration in data spaces

Data spaces enable different companies to collaborate on the basis of data without having to relinquish their data sovereignty. Data remains within their own infrastructure, while access for other companies is regulated by predefined policies and established governance.

Artificial intelligence for analysis and prediction

Artificial intelligence (AI) unlocks the potential of collected data: it analyzes, recognizes patterns, simulates processes, and makes data-based predictions. In conjunction with extended reality, interactive systems are created that enable training, remote support, and intelligent process control.

Simulation and optimization through extended reality (XR)

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are expanding the industrial space. While AR supplements real environments with digital information, VR simulations create ideal conditions for planning, training, and virtual commissioning.

Real-time data through the Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT sensors continuously provide data about machines, processes, and environments. This real-time information feeds directly into the industrial metaverse and is the basis for digital twins, visualization, and simulation.

An example of the industrial metaverse

Imagine that you want to build a new factory to manufacture car parts for your company. You hire engineering firms to design the facilities while your process engineers design the production processes and automated production lines. Everything is planned down to the smallest detail. Despite careful planning, however, many challenges often only become apparent after commissioning, such as collisions in the layout, inefficient processes, ergonomic weaknesses, and a lack of accessibility.

What if you could identify, experience, and optimize all of these issues before construction even begins? The industrial metaverse enables exactly that. It creates a digital environment in which you can plan, simulate, test, and optimize your factory with real data, realistic models, and interdisciplinary feedback.

Additionally, the industrial metaverse opens up strategic potential. Sustainability goals can be monitored more effectively, productivity metrics can be optimized, and new digital services can be developed. For instance, you can analyze and reduce energy consumption and emissions without interfering with real production, test alternative materials, and simulate processes in a resource-efficient manner. It also creates new opportunities, such as virtual training in realistic, risk-free environments and data-based business models that can be monetized.

Ein digitaler Zwilling eines Autos als Produkt von Digital Engineering
© Adobe Stock

What advantages does the industrial metaverse offer companies?

Reduced costs

The introduction of the industrial metaverse reduces costs along the entire value chain.

 

  • Virtual commissioning allows for the early detection of errors, helping to avoid costly repairs.
  • Real-time data analysis optimizes production processes, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes material waste.
  • Predictive maintenance provides demand-driven maintenance, which significantly reduces downtime and unexpected repair costs.
  • Additionally, companies can save on travel expenses by conducting training, meetings, and maintenance work in virtual environments, which do not require a physical presence.

More efficient training

The industrial metaverse creates entirely new opportunities for education and training.

 

  • Immersive virtual reality training allows employees to experience complex machines and processes realistically without obstructing physical equipment or creating safety risks.
  • Interactive training provides hands-on experience and improves understanding of technical processes.
  • New employees can be trained more quickly and effectively, regardless of their location, and existing skilled workers can receive continuous further training. This increases not only learning success but also the long-term quality and safety of industrial work processes.

Remote maintenance

Remote maintenance of machines and systems is significantly simplified by augmented reality and real-time data integration.

 

  • Service technicians can access digital twins remotely, analyze machine data in real time, and provide targeted recommendations without being physically on site.
  • AR-supported instructions allow factory employees to perform maintenance tasks independently while receiving real-time assistance from experts. This reduces downtime, minimizes travel costs, and speeds up the maintenance process. 
  • These features make the industrial metaverse a valuable solution for globally networked industrial companies.

Visible and tangible services and product information

In the industrial metaverse, services and product information are no longer presented statically, but can be experienced interactively.
 
  • In virtual showrooms, customers can explore machines and systems, test how they work, and try out different configuration options.
  • By combining photorealistic representations and real-time simulations, companies can present even complex products in an understandable way and allow their customers to experience the added value firsthand. This strengthens customer confidence and facilitates decision-making in the B2B sector.

Personalized offers through data-driven customization

Tailor-made offers that are precisely tailored to the needs of customers.

 

  • The integration of real-time data and AI-supported analyses allows usage patterns to be identified and products or services to be personalized in a targeted manner.
  • Virtual configurators can be used to customize machines, simulate specific operating requirements, and determine the optimal solution for production.
  • Data-driven business models such as »product-as-a-service« open up completely new opportunities for monetization.

Market resilience through digital flexibility

The industrial metaverse strengthens the resilience of companies by enabling them to respond flexibly to changing market conditions.

 

  • Digital twins and simulation-based decision models help identify potential disruptions in the supply chain at an early stage and test alternative scenarios.
  • By virtualizing production processes, companies can quickly adjust their manufacturing capacities.
  • Real-time data forms the basis for agile business management, where forecasts are made instead of reactive measures.

Reduce your carbon footprint

The digitalization and virtualization of industrial processes reduce the carbon footprint.

 

  • Virtual prototypes and digital twins reduce the need for physical test series and thus material and energy consumption.
  • The optimization of production processes through AI-supported analyses reduces resource use and increases energy efficiency.
  • The industrial metaverse enables new approaches to sustainable business models, for example through simulation-supported circular economy or the development of CO₂-neutral production strategies.

Democratization of data and interdisciplinary collaboration

The industrial metaverse brings complex processes to life – even for people without a technical background.

  • In immersive virtual environments, employees from the areas of development, human resources, production, and maintenance can provide early feedback on topics such as accessibility, ergonomics, and maintenance accessibility.
  • At the same time, access to data is simplified: simulations, real-time information, and operating data are available in a transparent and visually understandable form. This creates a common understanding across departmental boundaries based on a consistent data source (»single source of truth«).

Our expertise for your Industrial Metaverse

© Fraunhofer IPK / Elisabeth Brandenburg

Development of industrial metaverse environments

We support companies in determining their needs for applications for the industrial metaverse.

We help companies develop an implementation strategy and then effectively implement the applications using various technology stacks.

© Fraunhofer IPK/Larissa Klassen

Augmented reality assistance system in manual assembly

We use augmented reality (AR) to support workers in their tasks with work instructions. The assistance systems aim to increase efficiency and accuracy by displaying visual information directly.

In addition, training times can be shortened and errors significantly reduced.

© iStock

Collaboration using extended reality

Extended reality (XR) collaboration systems make it possible to experience, edit, and recreate 3D models on a 1:1 scale, including the associated information, either at any shared location or virtually across multiple locations. This improves and facilitates communication and understanding among all participants.

FAQ industrial metaverse

What is the difference between the industrial metaverse and digital twins?

A digital twin is a virtual, data-driven representation of a physical object or process that is synchronized with the real world in real time. The industrial metaverse goes one step further: it connects digital twins with immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI). This creates an interactive, networked environment in which companies can simulate production processes, control plants remotely, and enable global teams to collaborate in real time.

While the digital twin forms the basis, the industrial metaverse expands its possibilities through immersive interaction, collaborative simulations, and a scalable digital industrial platform. This creates a new dimension of the digital factory that takes efficiency, flexibility, and innovation to a new level.

What is the difference between the industrial metaverse and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)?

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) comprises sensors and devices that collect real-time data from machines and systems and transfer it to digital systems. This data forms the basis for the industrial metaverse, which builds on it to create virtual representations (»digital twins«) of industrial processes.

In the industrial metaverse, this data is consolidated, visualized, and analyzed in an immersive, networked environment. This enables companies to simulate, optimize, and control complex production processes in real time based on the information provided by the IIoT.

For whom is the industrial metaverse relevant?

The relevance of the industrial metaverse extends across all industries throughout the entire industrial sector.

Find the right cooperation model for your company

 

© Fraunhofer IPK / Larissa Klassen

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