Despite market skepticism about the touted “industrial metaverse,” the platform has continued to evolve steadily in recent months thanks to advances in the underlying technological components that power it. A report from analyst firm Forrester said:

According to Forrester, the industrial metaverse does not yet exist, but many of its components do exist, already connecting physical and digital experiences to deliver value in asset-intensive industries such as manufacturing. the company said in a report. “Industrial Metaverse: Ignore the hype and focus on technology that drives change.”

The Metaverse is defined by the company as the three-dimensional (3D) experience layer of the Internet, built on digital twin-like blocks that are virtual models of systems or networks. Digital twin technology already exists in common commercial form and can be seen deployed across supply chains, distribution centers and demand forecasting.

Similarly, there are already several additional technologies in proven form that can support Metaverse applications, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), Computer Aided Design (CAD), and Reality. exists. Capture (digital scan).

Another example of the technology behind the metaverse is wearable computing devices such as AR/VR headsets. Its reputation as a gimmicky fad caused some of the buzzword fatigue surrounding the early Metaverse hype.

In Forrester’s view, each of these technologies provides value on its own, but in combination they have the potential to provide even more. For example, AR is a great way to provide a field service technician with her latest IoT data, and reality capture is a great way to scan diagrams and photos to create a digital twin.

Over the years, use cases like this only combined a few of these technologies at once. But as applications become more complex, more and more individual technologies can be combined to create powerful recipes.