While the metaverse may not seem feasible in South Africa and other countries facing similar socioeconomic challenges, global experts say the cost of virtual reality (VR) headsets and controllers is a problem. I don’t think so.

“The metaverse is helping democratize and create equal opportunity and access,” Dr. Oliver Guzeit, global vice president of the SAP Experience Technology team, said in an interview last week at the Saphila 2023 conference in Suncity. said. Saphila is a biennial conference hosted by the African SAP User Group (AFSUG) in partnership with his SAP. Mr. Gutzeit gave a presentation under the title: SAP in the Metaverse – Innovation in Action. We then spoke with him about its potential in South Africa.

“It’s not a place to work or have access to for money if you do it the right way,” he says. “It’s helping open up opportunities. Where inequality is high, the metaverse is a useful technology and worth considering.” Holograms and VR have long been hallmarks of the supposed Fourth Industrial Revolution When President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the 1st Fourth Industrial Revolution SA Summit in 2019, his speech was live-streamed as a hologram to the Rustenburg Civic Center, the first live holo by a head of state. Although advertised as a graphic presentation, India, China and France could also claim the same honor.

It’s been over four years and I still haven’t seen a head of state ditch his microphone for a hologram. This is the problem with most of his 4IR tech, from VR to 3D printing. All of these are very nice, but they don’t really help much.

However, Gutzeit’s presentation suggested that the VR and AR, or Metaverse, that have been circulating in the market since Facebook changed its name to Meta are getting closer to true industrial applications.

Introducing this topic, he detonated some misconceptions about the metaverse. These include misconceptions that the Metaverse is all about Mark Zuckerberg’s meta, that the Metaverse is out of funding, and that it is a “walled garden” that restricts access.

More importantly, he highlighted the commercial opportunities it offers in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. He shared Deloitte’s predictions that show particular promise for the industrial metaverse, a virtual mirror of real-world industrial processes. By 2025, he is expected to generate $22.73 trillion in revenue, and by 2030, he is expected to generate $100 billion in annual revenue.

A Deloitte survey found that 85% of businesses believe they need to be ready for the Metaverse today, and 20% of manufacturers are developing Metaverse applications or underlying solutions. Only 6% of companies think the Metaverse is just hype.

It was just a warm-up for Gutzeit’s own Metaverse demonstration. He introduced his avatar, a digital representation of himself in an online or virtual environment, and guided the audience through a series of virtual rooms that make up the SAP Metaverse showcase.

From a leisure lounge to a SAP history museum to a virtual workbench to a convenience store quickly converted into a clothing store, he encapsulated the various settings possible in the metaverse. He demonstrated how company cars can be customized in different models and colors before sending out the specs for physical delivery.

With a controller in hand, he navigates a video game-like environment to demonstrate a real-world application of the metaverse in an industrial environment, simulating how items can be rearranged to affect the real world. I did. Is it enough to convince operators of factories and other industrial operations?

Gutzeit said the fact that the metaverse is not yet prevalent in this space could be a good thing.

“We have more time to explore the metaverse. We need to see when it becomes an effective technology,” he later told us. “Within the next few years, this technology will make a breakthrough. It will not be as disruptive as AI, but it will be an additional technology in the future.

“Overall, the metaverse is nothing to be afraid of. There are no sudden disruptions, but it changes over time. Talking about it and being in the metaverse are two different things. You don’t have to stay there, you don’t have to use it, but at least try it once, even if it doesn’t seem relevant to you or your business.”

* Arthur Goldstuck is the founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and the @art2gee thread. Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and a writer at Gadget.co.za. Follow him on thread and on Instagram. @jase_bann