As companies and employees embrace hybrid work, the metaverse offers new opportunities to improve workflows and job experience. From remote onboarding to AR technical support, companies are exploring metaverse solutions to improve their workflows.​

As the metaverse enters public consciousness, companies are championing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to power the future of work.

Since US tech giant Facebook’s Meta rebrand, consumer interest in the metaverse has skyrocketed. As well as affecting how we learn, play and shop, it will also redefine the work experience. With the global market for VR/AR tech projected to grow tenfold by 2024 to $297bn, major firms such as Microsoft, Alibaba and Naver are examining the possible impact of the metaverse at work.

Governments and regulatory bodies are taking notice. In November, China inaugurated its first metaverse industry group to uncover opportunities in its industries, while Seoul’s government became the first city to provide administrative services to citizens in the metaverse.

Design & Tech Support

From digital twins to AR tech support, a rising number of metaverse solutions for manufacturing and design are increasing efficiency and reducing downtime.

The use of digital twins (virtual representations of physical systems) is growing. German automaker BMW partnered with NVIDIA to simulate its factories, from production machinery to simulated workers. This enabled the company to optimise its assembly system at scale. Similarly, Belgium-based drink company AB InBev used Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins platform to create a comprehensive digital model of its breweries and supply chain, giving operators an integrated view of quality and traceability information.

AR is also improving industrial support. US enterprise technology brand HP’s xRServices is a mixed-reality solution offering on-demand troubleshooting and real-time collaboration for printer users. US support platform CareAR, a Xerox company, uses AR visual overlays and simple instructions to empower people to resolve hardware issues remotely.

For designers and developers, an opportunity to design the real with added layers of information, to leverage augmented reality to supercharged professional experiences or utilise these new tools for enhanced collaboration.

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