Three decades after the phrase was first used, major corporations are beginning to put money into the metaverse. While Microsoft is betting $70 billion on a meta future with its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, venture capital funds poured nearly $25 billion into crypto-related investments in 2021. Facebook changed its name to Meta and promised to invest $10 billion in its Reality Labs operation this year.

The current metaverse discourse often centres on the consumer’s perspective. According to Google trends, Pakistan’s average internet search volume shows increasing interest in the metaverse. The metaverse is commonly understood as a VR in which digital avatars exist in a 3D ‘virtual’ environment that seems distinct from the actual one. In our minds, a metaverse is a ‘place’ where people may use avatars to interact virtually with one another and engage in non-real-world activities like online shopping. An alternative is to get a more holistic sense of the word ‘metaverse’ by defining it as the outcome of the ongoing convergence of the real world and the internet enabled by immersive technology.

Although not in the form of avatars or headsets, the metaverse technology is already used to aid frontline employees in the industrial sector. A gadget like a virtual reality headset disconnects its user from the actual world, which is counterproductive for the frontline employees. The industrial metaverse needs extra hardware to bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

In contrast to the consumer-focused one, the industrial metaverse digitalises information to convey it to the worker just as the former does with humans. This gives employees more control over their job by placing valuable data directly in their line of sight at the precise moment they need them.

This is now feasible because of developments in augmented and mixed reality (AR and MR) technology, such as smart glasses. Recent developments in this area have allowed the employees to see data, obtain comprehensive, step-by-step procedures and interact with the holograms in three dimensions. These can be seamlessly integrated into the actual world without blocking the worker’s line of sight, addressing one of the common complaints about the metaverse technology for those on the front lines.

Smart glasses are only one example of a new product generation that makes it possible to bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. While the industrial metaverse has great promise, it can’t be fully realised without the right software. Displaying data in real-time, providing interactive and immersive training procedures, or providing step-by-step instructions to operate a machine are all examples of commercial use.

Practically endless possibilities exist for putting the industrial metaverse to use. Any job would be better served by the error-free information retrieval and hands-free operation. These advantages apply to every facet of the manufacturing, from transportation and assembly to office support and employee development.

The industrial metaverse was already being used by businesses. To lower error rates and enhance training experiences in many sectors throughout the value chains, the technologically sophisticated firms are turning to augmented or mixed reality solutions.

Meta did not have to publicly announce the industrial metaverse, as she did for the consumer version. The industrial metaverse is here and now; it is simply not visible to the customers. However, this is a reality for those working in production, logistics and education. Progressive organisations will digitalise not just individual activities but their whole value chain, linking each individual worker to data that spans the entire operation.

For instance, the auto sector is responsible for staff education and development, supply chain management, assembly line coordination and quality assurance. As the employees in the industrial metaverse become more connected, we will see across-the-board improvements. Each employee may get insight from the data collected by other employees. Live data speeds up operations, while analysing the data from several processes working together can help with the training and management. The manufacturing sector might benefit significantly from the implementation of the industrial metaverse.

There are several benefits for the companies to use the industrial metaverse. First and foremost, it helps to boost the return on investment (ROI) by decreasing the frequency of mistakes and increasing the velocity with which the training, picking, or assembly may be completed. It’s been shown that speeding up and simplifying procedures via digitalisation may significantly save expenses. Pakistani enterprises should implement use cases for frontline employees and office personnel.

The workers in the manufacturing or quality control still have access to physical handbooks and documentation, despite years of digitalising the office meetings, communication and paperwork. Allowing employees to use AR and MR will boost the manufacturing industry’s ergonomics, productivity and morale.

Pakistani firms can stay ahead of the regional competition and increase the effectiveness and reliability of the supply chain by investing in the industrial metaverse. The leaders should focus on understanding the metaverse market’s current state and how their company fits into it since it is still in its infancy. Businesses in various sectors have already found the metaverse to be ripe with the economic opportunities.

For example, the companies in the IT, media and telecom industries get a direct advantage by offering technology enablers such as 5G and next-generation Wi-Fi or broadband networks, as well as new operating systems, app stores and platforms that encourage greater content development.

Meanwhile, the healthcare and manufacturing sectors are also aggressively exploring and using AR and VR solutions.

(The writer is an Edtech expert)