Published on: December 29, 2024 / Update from: December 30, 2024 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Metaverse update: Why extended reality and digital twins are shaping the future of product development - Image: Xpert.Digital
Technology Trio of Innovation: What Augmented Reality, the Metaverse and Digital Twins Make Possible
Extended Reality (XR) in the Metaverse, together with digital twins, marks a profound change in product development. Companies are using these technologies to not only develop products faster and more cost-effectively, but also to create entirely new forms of collaboration and customer interaction. The following explains how these innovations are already transforming entire industries and what prospects open up for the future. This text illustrates why XR and digital twins are becoming one of the most important drivers for the next generation of product design and manufacturing - well beyond the automotive or fashion industries.
“Extended Reality in the Metaverse is much more than just a futuristic gimmick.” In fact, it is becoming increasingly clear that XR in combination with digital twins has enormous potential to seamlessly connect real and virtual worlds. For example, virtual prototypes can be precisely projected into real working environments. This allows engineers and designers to examine their designs in real time, giving them unprecedented flexibility when making design changes or in early prototyping phases. These new options not only drastically reduce development times, but also increase the quality of the products because potential problems are identified much earlier.
Virtual prototyping and product design: A paradigm shift
A particularly impressive example of progress in the area of product development is the automotive industry. “Virtual prototyping has already become largely established in modern development centers of large automobile manufacturers.” Companies such as BMW and Hyundai use digital twins to design vehicle components in a highly realistic digital environment. Engineers wear XR glasses through which they can see components in 3D and adjust them immediately. The advantages are obvious: expensive physical prototypes no longer have to be produced in every development phase. Instead, design changes can be made directly on virtual models, speeding up testing phases and saving resources.
The fashion industry has also recognized that digital twins are ideal for faster and more flexible development. Designers from famous brands, including Nike, create both physical and digital versions of their products - sneakers, for example - and test their aesthetics in different virtual contexts. Using XR, designers can see how a shoe performs in different environments or under different lighting conditions. This not only ensures greater creativity, but also allows customers to be involved and feedback during the design phase.
In both cases - the automotive and fashion industries - it is proving to be a crucial factor that the use of XR and digital twins optimally enables the integration of the real and virtual world. The production and design teams can see much earlier how a product behaves in practice, which materials are best suited or how certain design decisions affect ergonomics or appearance. Instead of complex, separate simulations in separate departments and programs, this creates a networked system in which all stakeholders can access the same digital models simultaneously.
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Collaborative product development: Unlimited teamwork
The rapid development of XR technology is having a significant impact on the way teams work together. “XR functions make digital meetings so realistic that spatial distances practically no longer play a role.” Engineers, designers and other participants can use XR-capable devices to view one and the same virtual 3D model, edit it together and make adjustments on the fly carry out the process. This form of global teamwork opens up new horizons for companies as they rely on fast, agile work.
In practice, this means that experts from different disciplines – from materials science to marketing – can work on a project at the same time. This not only saves enormous costs that were previously incurred through travel or physical model adjustments. It also encourages team creativity as ideas and feedback can be shared instantly.
XR tools that show colleagues on the other side of the world exactly where a change should be made significantly increase efficiency. Anyone who has ever participated in a video conference knows that presentations or complicated construction drawings are often difficult to convey on the screen. XR makes the crucial difference here: Instead of complicated descriptions and explanations, everyone involved in the project can see what needs to be changed live on the virtual model. The physical reality of your own workplace merges with the virtual object, and it feels as if everyone is sitting in the same room together.
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Immersive Simulations: Anticipating Reality
Another milestone that XR and digital twins enable is realistic simulations. “Errors and bottlenecks can be identified much more quickly in a virtual environment than in complex test setups in the real world.” This proves to be a valuable tool, especially in production. For example, automobile manufacturers can set up a complete production line digitally and simulate the process before purchasing a single machine. This means that potential bottlenecks or problem areas become apparent at a very early stage. The necessary adjustments, such as the arrangement of robots or the flow of materials, can also be made directly in the virtual environment.
This approach reduces the risk of costly bad investments and brings decisive competitive advantages. Companies that map their production processes virtually can implement changes to products or processes much more quickly and therefore react more flexibly to market requirements. In addition, the ability to quickly run through different scenarios increases the ability to innovate. Complex ideas no longer need to be laboriously tested in expensive prototypes, but can first be optimized in an immersive environment.
In addition, quality assurance is a key beneficiary of these new technologies: If the critical parameters of a product or process are identified in the digital twin, the real end product can also be trimmed to high quality right from the start. This results in less rejects and reduces the need for rework.
Customer-specific adjustments: More individualization thanks to XR
A big advantage of XR in the Metaverse is when it comes to individual customer requests. “Consumers increasingly expect products to be tailored to their personal preferences.” This is a crucial purchasing criterion, particularly in e-commerce or furniture retail: furniture manufacturers already offer XR apps that potential buyers can use to view a virtual 3D model of a piece of furniture can project your own apartment. This way you can see exactly whether a sofa or table fits in with the rest of the furniture before you even order it.
This form of individualized presentation increases customer satisfaction and can avoid expensive returns. Anyone who has tried out the piece of furniture virtually makes a much more targeted purchase. In other sectors too – from fashion to electronics to car sales – companies are increasingly relying on XR-based purchasing advice. Customers try on or try out clothing, accessories or even a new sports car virtually, making more informed decisions.
In the long term, this principle can be expanded as desired. Even complex building constructions or building elements are visualized with the help of XR. Builders can virtually assess the position of windows, roofs or walls before the construction phase begins. This significantly reduces misunderstandings and planning errors.
Maintenance and training: knowledge at a glance
XR combined with digital twins not only revolutionizes development processes, but also maintenance and training. “Technicians who wear XR glasses receive real-time information about the status of a machine or system.” This means that they can see on the object which components need to be replaced or maintained and which steps are necessary. Instructions appear directly in the field of vision, marked by arrows or other symbols that are superimposed on the real environment.
This method improves efficiency because technicians don't have to search through thick manuals or bring in outside consultants. At the same time, errors are reduced because XR visually shows exactly which component is affected. Maintenance or repair tasks can therefore be carried out more quickly and safely, even on highly complex machines.
A similar picture emerges in training courses, for example in medicine. More and more hospitals are now using XR to teach surgical techniques. Surgeons can view the virtual patient condition and the corresponding operating field and learn step by step before working on the real patient. This intensity of advance practice can improve the quality of medical procedures and increase safety for patients.
Urban planning and architecture: Preparing the digital city
A particularly exciting field of application for digital twins in combination with XR is urban planning and architecture. “A digital copy of a city or a building can be superimposed on the real environment using XR in order to realistically assess the impact of construction projects.” City planners and architects use it to simulate how new buildings or transport infrastructure integrate into the existing cityscape.
Thanks to this innovative way of working, they discover potential problems or conflicts with existing structures in advance. Whether it's about traffic routing, the connection to the public network or the influence on light and shadow - all of this can be researched and improved in a digital model environment before actual construction costs arise. This not only speeds up approval processes, but also reduces the planning effort for corrections.
Another advantage is that citizens and other interest groups can be involved in the planning process much more transparently. Using a digital twin, they can see early on how their city will change and voice suggestions or concerns long before ground is broken. This participatory component increases public acceptance of large construction projects and enables much more effective interaction between citizens, administration and politics.
Revolutionary changes and continuous innovation
The examples described here clearly illustrate how XR in the metaverse, together with digital twins, is already revolutionizing product development. Thanks to the seamless integration of virtual and physical elements, companies can not only produce significantly faster and more cost-effectively, but also act more creatively and in a more customer-oriented manner.
“The next generation of product development has the potential to fundamentally change existing processes.” This is reflected in many industries: from large industry to smaller design offices. The increasing spread of powerful XR devices, 5G networks and cloud solutions will ensure that more and more companies integrate a digital twin into their processes.
In addition, new business areas are opening up for service providers who create and maintain digital twins. Simulation experts, XR developers and data analysts are already sought-after specialists. At the same time, the connection to the Internet of Things (IoT) will further increase the accuracy and timeliness of digital twins. Sensors that provide real-time data from machines or products are automatically updated in the twin so that engineers or maintenance teams can access the current status at any time.
A key factor here is the future availability of artificial intelligence (AI), which will ensure that XR applications become even smarter. In the future, a system could automatically suggest changes to the digital twin based on previously collected data, further refining the collaboration between humans and machines.
For many experts, the question of whether XR in the Metaverse together with digital twins is just a short-lived hype or a real game changer hardly arises anymore. Given the rapid development and the almost unlimited application possibilities, it is obvious that these technologies will play a central role in the industrial value creation of the future.
Anyone who does not deal with this promptly runs the risk of losing touch with the global markets in just a few years. Companies that already rely on XR applications and digital twins are taking a pioneering role and experience has shown that they are significantly more agile and adaptable in a world that is subject to constant change.
The key to success lies in developing a strategy that intelligently combines technology, skilled workers and business models. The courage to experiment, to collaborate openly with external partners and start-ups, and to have a vision for the company's digital future are essential.
The next generation of product development will not only be ushered in through individual measures or tools, but through a holistic linking of digital and physical resources. Extended reality in the metaverse and digital twins provide the foundation for this. Companies that lay this foundation early will be able to implement product innovations more quickly in the long term, interact more closely with their customers and, overall, react more flexibly to market changes.
This is exactly where the great opportunity lies: the fusion of the real world with highly developed digital technology brings a boost to innovation that many industries urgently need in order to remain competitive. The path to success lies in consistent experimentation, investment in new technologies and the will to break down rigid processes. Ultimately, it is the symbiosis of extended reality, metaverse and digital twins that is fundamentally changing product development, maintenance, training and customer experience - with the promise of redefining the future of industry and the service sector.
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