05/11/2023 igus® UK Ltd.

Sales reps, engineers and customers will work together in the ‘iguverse’ metaverse in the future

Wear virtual reality (VR) glasses to inspect your products in detail from all sides. Collaborate with engineers and materials experts to quickly and independently plan the assembly of machines, systems and vehicles in VR, regardless of location. igus has created a digital parallel universe that enables sales and engineering professionals to prepare for the Metaverse, the new iguverse.

The online game Fortnite shows how powerful a digital parallel universe can be, a computer game that allows people to participate in social events in a 3D simulation. When rapper Travis Scott held a digital concert using avatars in April 2020, 12.3 million players gathered in virtual space. Digital parallel worlds can be just as important for industries and businesses. “We are pursuing the vision of the ‘iguverse’, a virtual space where all products can be experienced as digital twins,” said Matthew Aldridge, Managing Director of igus UK. “In the future, our customers around the world will have the opportunity to develop their machines, systems and machinery at iguvers together with igus, our partner engineers and project managers and immerse themselves in projects and applications, saving time and money. will be.”

Customers are up to 9x more likely to remember their “real life” experiences

Visitors at the IAA Transportation 2022 trade fair in Hanover were able to experience this vision of the future. At the igus stand, visitors were able to put on his VR glasses and, together with the employees, get a glimpse of the beginning of the igus metaverse. In the future, it will be possible to see 3D models of products such as e-chains® in a 360-degree panoramic view. People experience the igus infrastructure at an altitude of 3,800 meters.² Take part in the test lab in Cologne or immerse yourself in multiple applications where igus components are used. These range from plastic bicycles to futuristic minivans with iglidur® plain bearings, drylin® linear guides and energy chains for oil platforms with the modular energy chain system e-loop. These impressions cannot be conveyed so impressively and with such realism that classical media such as catalogues, brochures, multimedia presentations, or even video and 3D renderings cannot. give.

“With iguverse, we embark on new paths in presentation, sales and engineering,” emphasizes Aldridge. The metaverse is new territory for many. igus also wants to learn something new and explore this path together with our customers. “There is a lot of potential for business development. For example, sales representatives and customers can wear VR glasses and immerse themselves in igbars during customer visits. “It has been shown that people are up to nine times more likely to remember ,” says Aldridge.

Time-saving and low-friction engineering in virtual reality

The digital twin of the product and the igus facility is just one expansion phase of the iguverse. In the future, customers, engineers, and materials experts will be able to gather as avatars in the digital space and execute entire engineering projects faster and with less friction than in the physical world.

As a further step, igus is also considering extending the iguverse with B2B platforms for other manufacturers. Companies can then use igus® components to display their machines and systems in this virtual space. Digital channels will account for 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers by 2025, according to US market research firm Gartner. To support this, igus will create and grow a reference database on all motion plastics using his own virtually accessible B2B platform.

sell digitally Augmented reality

As a further development, igus will further rely on new forms of digital sales and presentations using augmented reality (AR).

One example is the e-chains from the triflex TRX series. Until now, salespeople and customers have rarely had the opportunity to look inside his closed chain in detail. Some mechanical principles that are particularly relevant to the triflex TRX are left to the imagination. Here, AR applications assist buyers and engineers. When an employee activates the software on their smartphone via her QR code on his e-chain, the application overlays the product on screen with an animated virtual twin. This allows him to see the mechanics inside the chain in his X-rays. This instantly brings your product to life and eases the design selection process.