Sony, a company that commands a formidable share in the global AR/VR headset market, revealed its new headset at CES 2024 in partnership with Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Siemens said it will integrate the headset with its NX Immersive Designer software for product engineering. This integration will facilitate 3D design, review, and collaboration for Siemens’ industrial clientele, utilising the Xcelerator portfolio.

Sony’s collaboration with Siemens to introduce the new headset exemplifies a shifting emphasis towards the industrial metaverse, signalling a transition from consumer-oriented applications to industrial-focused solutions.

“There’s actually a lot of excitement around what the industrial metaverse can deliver to manufacturers around the world. We have a very structured view of this – the industrial metaverse takes that comprehensive digital twin and creates the next level of immersive environment,” Bob Jones, executive vice president, global sales and customer success at Siemens Digital Industries Software (DISW) told AIM.

Jones also believes the demand for Siemens’ industrial Metaverse offerings will further increase once Sony releases its headset. However, not everyone shares Jones’ optimism. 

Last year, Microsoft laid off its entire ‘Industrial Metaverse Core’ team, which consisted of around 100 employees, to focus on building AI chatbots. 

During the same time, Meta also downsized its workforce in its Reality Labs division, which is dedicated to the technology and advancement of the metaverse. 

But Sony and Siemens are not alone in putting time, effort and money into the metaverse. 

Earlier this year, Apple released its VisionPro mixed reality headsets. Not so long ago, the Cupertino-based company also published a blog stating that they expect VisionPro to lead to a new era of spatial computing for business.

Manufacturing leading the charge 

Interestingly, the automobile industry is already at the forefront of leveraging the metaverse. It enables engineers to engage with a comprehensive digital twin, identifying potential issues or improvements and exploring alternative approaches in the virtual realm before constructing physical prototypes.

“They are using the metaverse for virtual prototyping of vehicle designs, and AR/VR/Web3D-based virtual showrooms/configurators as well as immersive training for assembly line workers,” Anuj Gupta, enterprise and sales lead at AutoVRse, told AIM.

Automobile companies are also leveraging the metaverse for remote maintenance support. The metaverse facilitates real-time transmission of repair data from dealerships and auto shops to manufacturers’ aftersales and development teams. This enhances car maintenance, repair, and aftersales development through seamless data integration.

Gupta pointed out that Tata AutoComp (TACO), one of the leading auto ancillary manufacturers, is using VR to train their assembly line workers on assembly processes for cockpits, seats, radiators, HVAC systems, and more.

“With Tata Motors, we utilised VR to deepen customer engagement, providing immersive glimpses into the brand’s vision. Similarly, with Bosch, we integrated immersive VR setups, including HTC VIVE headsets, into sales processes, training staff at flagship stores and airports,” Gupta revealed.

“Volvo leverages VR to exhibit its luxury cars to customers, facilitating customisation and offering a more informed and memorable buying experience,” he added.

It’s not just the automotive industry finding use cases in the industrial metaverse, but other manufacturing companies too. Jones said, Freyr, a European battery manufacturer, utilises Siemens’ comprehensive digital twin to meticulously design every aspect of the gigafactories they are currently building before the construction begins. 

“They aim to leverage the industrial metaverse to enable potential customers to interact with the comprehensive digital twin, ensuring the factory aligns with their operational requirements and meets their needs effectively,” he said.

Siemens utilised the metaverse to create its Digital Native Factory in Nanjing, integrating digital technologies from inception. 

Simulation with a digital twin optimised construction, avoiding costly errors. Besides, ongoing simulation enhanced efficiency, yielding a 200% capacity increase and 20% productivity boost.

The Rise of Industrial Metaverse 

Gupta believes the Metaverse is poised to experience substantial growth in the coming years.

“As industries worldwide embrace digital transformation, there’s an increasing recognition of the potential of metaverse technologies to revolutionise operations, training, and collaboration in manufacturing and related sectors,” he said.

Besides the likes of Meta and Microsoft, a few other companies like AWS and NVIDIA are also still working on the metaverse. However, Siemens is among the few companies making significant strides with the technology. 

Jones revealed his customers are reaching out directly to inquire about the company’s industrial metaverse offering. “It’s one of the products we didn’t have to spend on marketing.

“An automotive manufacturer in Japan has engaged with us on this initiative. We have also garnered significant interest from multiple customers in the US,” Jones said.

Moreover, he anticipates that the initial interest will likely extend into the realm of product development, especially after the launch of the Sony headset.

In India, AutoVRse has developed VRseBuilder – a VR-led, end-to-end one-stop, self-serve, modular, SaaS-style platform which empowers large organisations to effortlessly create, deploy, and manage AR/VR training solutions and applications at scale and in real-time.

The Bengaluru-based startup’s customer list also includes Volvo, UltraTech Cements, Tata Power, Vedanta, Accenture, Godrej MHE and TVS Motors, among others.