The Industrial Metaverse - Perspectives from the Automation Industry

Abstract

The thesis explores how organizations within the automation industry would implement the Industrial Metaverse and if they see any value in it. To answer the thesis question, 7 participants from 4 organizations spanning 3 continents were recruited. All participants occupied senior roles in their respective organizations. The thesis analyzed each case separately as well as having them compared for further discussion. The findings and subsequent discussion showed that the paradigm is still in its very early stages and is not actively being implemented in the majority of the cases. However, all cases did see some potential value and benefits by implementing it to varying degrees in the future. They identified the most valuable use cases to be within R&D and sales processes. However, challenges regarding cost, knowledge, standardization, natural interaction, and cybersecurity have to be solved before the Industrial Metaverse can be realized. This work has contributed to defining both the use cases and challenges of the automation industry within the Industrial Metaverse. It is meant to contribute practically to interview participants and others in the automation industry, providing a nuanced overview of the buzzword Industrial Metaverse. Finally, this thesis may also be used in further development of the enabling technologies and associated applications