Industrial

By merging digital twins with their real-life counterparts, companies can optimize production and processes in a continuous feedback loop. Buildings, factories, machines, robots and entire processes can be modeled and simulated, enabling virtual, resource-saving tests, training and extensive collaboration, for example. With the help of AI, data can be generated in the virtual world and used as a basis for developing sustainable products and efficient factories and buildings. Virtualization in engineering enables everyone to innovate without risks or high additional costs and to collaborate from anywhere with low entry barriers. This convergence of the digital and real worlds and enabling people to interact with each other and machines in real time - just like in the real world - will permanently change the way we work (together).

Thematic focus*

Ongoing projects

Project	Description	Project page
Real-world laboratory Industrial Metaverse	A real-world laboratory is being established at ARENA2036 to serve as a sandbox for the application and further development of the Industrial Metaverse, as well as an incubator for scaling these technologies in practice and a showcase for existing Industrial Metaverse technologies and their potential.	Link
AI-Matters	AI-MATTERS puts artificial intelligence (AI) at the heart of European manufacturing innovation and strives to integrate, optimize and make transformative AI technologies accessible, especially to Europe's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), through extensive testing and experimentation.	Link
Asset Administration Shell for the " Wire Harness " (AAS4WH)	Development of an interoperable digital twin for the entire wiring harness value chain.	Link
Wire Harness Standardization Initiative (SILS)	Development of uniform standards for wiring system development and production in order to reduce the complexity of the wiring harness and increase the degree of automation.	Link
Transformation Hub Wire Harness	Central contact point for trends, technologies and sustainable solutions in the wire harness industry, supported by ARENA2036, Bayern Innovativ and the Open Hybrid LabFactory.	Link
ARENA2036-X	Demonstration and test environment for data spaces in ARENA2036 for members to test their own use cases.	Link
Transfer-X	Transfer-X is a learning platform with modules on the topic of data spaces. ARENA2036 develops its own learning content, imparts practical data space knowledge and thus supports the development of skills in industry and research.	Link

*Overviews of the Thematic Focus Areas:

Focus	Description
Digital building twin	Use cases and added value of a virtual building image, e.g. through scan data, modeling in 2D or 3D
Simulation, virtual commissioning:	Increased efficiency, error reduction, real-time data, automation. Model accuracy, real-time behavior, scenario analysis, test environment, sustainability.
Administration shell connection Metaverse:	What is needed for interoperability in ecosystems? Semantics, guidelines, interfaces. Realizing synergies (supply chain). ​
3D data formats:	Which standards for 3D data formats are becoming established? Focus on metadata vs. focus on 3D data. And a combination.
Metaverse architecture:	Who collects what data, and what governance is required for this? Monitoring, quantification, and qualitative evaluation—for example, how many daily Daily users (DAU) in the virtual world, and for what purposes? ​
Standardization:	A collection of topics covering everything that facilitates a standardized exchange requires​.
Governance, role and rights concepts:	Who collects what data, and what governance is required for this? Monitoring, quantification, and qualitative evaluation—for example, how many daily Daily users (DAU) in the virtual world, and for what purposes?
Virtual production planning:	possibly with AI optimization: from geometry to processes to controllability. What data, information, and insights can be meaningfully combined?​
Network digital twin, connectivity:	VVisual representation of the network in the virtual world; network requirements (connection to the cloud, data collection by AGVs via Wi-Fi). Predictive Maintenance: Server requirements (physical/cloud). How many computers are used for virtual control?
Plug-and-play capability:	Is there integrability or scalability, how can this be achieved and what are the necessary prerequisites for this?​
Digital Services:	Complementary offerings for the physical product, based on a digital twin. These provide customers with tangible added value through condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and efficiency and performance optimization.
Virtual Humans:	as digital, AI-powered avatars or assistants in the Industrial Metaverse. Acting as an interactive interface in virtual environments between humans and digital systems. Areas of application include: education and training (e.g., as virtual trainers), customer service and support (e.g., as interactive contact persons).
Use Cases with Digital Twins in the Metaverse​:	Where is added value and (customer) benefit generated, and how can this be mapped, demonstrated, and evaluated? What ROI can be achieved in which use cases?
Data from Digital Twins:	What information is needed? When? Which (core) data from digital twins should be continuously maintained and updated? Minimum requirements for digital twins. Selection, (data) quality, timeliness, interfaces, AI analysis. Meta-functional data. ​

Objective and target group

Objective: Building on the existing innovation ecosystem of ARENA2036, a real laboratory for an industrial metaverse will be created that, on the one hand, uses use cases to demonstrate what is already possible today and, on the other hand, identifies open development needs and questions from practice. In addition to its function as a test and experimental environment in a "quasi-real factory", the ARENA2036 industrial metaverse is intended to act as a showcase for demonstration and transfer by making concrete added value tangible and tangible in the direct interaction of the real and virtual dimensions.

Target audience: Outdoor industry companies (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) seeking guidance on potential and implementation, as well as to build knowledge and skills to enhance connectivity; all ARENA2036 members with a direct or indirect connection to Industrial Metaverse topics; and other flagship initiatives for mutual networking and the establishment of interdisciplinary collaborations.

Industrial Metaverse Community at ARENA2036

The following companies regularly exchange ideas in the "Tech Forum Metaverse":

Details, dates and further information on the "Reallabor Industrial Metaverse" project can be found here: Reallabor Industrial Metaverse ARENA2036

 

Overview of the individual Tech-Forum dates

June 23, 2026:

Andresa Hupfeld and Matthias Wilhelm from Visual Components gave their keynote presentation, followed by the premiere of the finished promotional video. There was a recap of the Ü:MO annual event on June 18 and a mention of the Reallabor Industrial Metaverse booth at the Cyberländat Futuromundo on June 26.

May 19, 2026:

Christian Rosland began by mentioning hands-on activities at the Digital Twin Composer, before moving on to BMW’s presentation on the topic “Opportunities and Challenges in the Redevelopment of brownfield facilities using the BMW Munich plant as an example." Following that, a representative from Mercedes-Benz presented the user study “Help Shape the Future of AI/LLM Quality Testing.” Unfortunately, the April Tech Forum was canceled due to the 2026 Hannover Messe and the 2026 XR Expo, but the highlights of those events were shown to members at the end of today’s Tech Forum.

March 24, 2026:

This month’s keynote presentation was given by TruPhysics and provided members with an insight into the AI- and game engine-based robotics platform. Afterward, the good news was announced that the official handover of the grant approval notice for the project “Industrial Metaverse Reallabor ARENA2036 in the Metaverse Ecosystem Baden-Württemberg” had taken place on March 4. Finally, there was a recap of the March 5 event, and upcoming events for the coming months were discussed.

February 24, 2026:

Representatives from Stoba and TruPhysics introduced themselves, followed by a presentation by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Kfm. Christoph Runde on standardization in the Industrial Metaverse. After a review of past events—the Industrial Metaverse Conference and the Best Practice Insights visit to T-Systems in Munich—there was a detailed preview of the Industrial Metaverse Innovation Forum on March 5.

January 27, 2026:

Daimler Truck was introduced as a new member of the group. Following that, Shengjian Patrick Chen, Daniel Littfinski, and Erik-Felix Tinsel​ provided an overview of the Industrial Metaverse at the ISW. Finally, details regarding upcoming events were discussed, including the visit to T-Systems in Munich and the Innovation Forum on March 5.

November 25, 2025:

Goksel Dedeoglu of Analog Devices Inc. was introduced, and Stoyan Boyukliyski of DXC then gave a presentation on visual engineering. The review of the Open Lab Day was positive, and attention was then turned to the upcoming events next year.

October 28, 2025:

Dr. Gor Hakobyan (Co-Founder & CTO of Waveye) presented how the transfer of sensor data to the real-world lab is already possible and practical today. Following that, the group discussed everything important for the upcoming visit to ISG and looked back on Bordnetz Digital 2025.

September 23, 2025:

Daniel Seidl (CEO of Innoactive) delivered his presentation titled “Efficient Rollout of Factory & Engineering Design Reviews with NVIDIA Omniverse and Innoactive,” after which Michael Hernández presented the current status of the ARENA2036 digital twin. Following a brief discussion of the key topics, there was a review of the 2025 Transformation Summit and a look ahead to upcoming events.

July 22, 2025:

Kai Przybysz-Herz (Naise) provided an overview of intralogistics and the Industrial Metaverse, after which Dr. Florenz Graf (Bär) and David Dietrich (ISW) gave a presentation on Asset Administration Shell the Industrial Metaverse. Following an update on the topic clusters, the group looked back on the Ü:MO event and highlighted upcoming dates.

June 24, 2025:

Michael Ach (BMW), Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Schlögl (Siemens) and Manuel Paul (Festo) presented the DIAMOND project for digital plant modeling with neutral data formats. After an update on the topic clusters, reference was made to the Transformation Summit on July 17 and the Industrial Metaverse Conference on February 10 & 11, 2026.

May 27, 2025:

SEI Automotive Europe GmbH (Sumitomo Electric Group) and Lear Corporation Engineering GmbH introduced themselves to the group for the first time. Dr. Frederik Wulle presented a reference implementation for asset connectivity using a Stäubli robot from the ARENA2036 shop floor. A look back at the Metaverse Congress and Women of Tech, as well as a preview of Ü:MO 2025, rounded out the meeting.

April 15, 2025:

Michael Hernández was introduced as the research coordinator for the Industrial Metaverse. Initial conclusions and fields of action were drawn from the topic clusters. Reference was also made to the Metaverse Congress Virtual Worlds (May 8) and the annual event Ü:MO (June 26).

March 25, 2025:

The topic clusters were further sharpened and a brief update on the IT infrastructure for the metaverse at ARENA2036 was given. In addition, planned content for the ARENA2036 stand at Hannover Messe 2025 was presented - including a 360° tour and the digital building twin (FARO point cloud).

January 28, 2025:

After a positive review of the excursion, Schaeffler and Waveye were welcomed. Dr. Gor Hakobyan (Waveye) presented a project on the virtual training of humanoid robots. Finally, topic clusters were agreed upon, which were derived from previous meetings and feedback and are intended to structure future content priorities.

January 9, 2025: Visit to the Siemens appliance plant in Erlangen

BMW, SPIE, and ISW joined the group. There were also new additions to FARO, Nokia, and DXC. Matthias Jablonowski (Nokia) presented the “Network Digital Twin”—a network-based approach to the Industrial Metaverse. In addition, final details were worked out for the planned excursion to Siemens’ Experience Center for Digital Transformation in Erlangen, which will include a tour of the equipment factory.

October 22, 2024:

Bosch, DXC, Intel and Nokia joined the panel. In addition to introducing new members, Matthias Aust (Fraunhofer IAO) presented the INSTANCE project. The opening of the Fraunhofer IAO's Immersive Participation Lab (IPLab), which focuses on VR technologies and software interfaces for applications such as BIM in the construction industry, was also highlighted.

September 24, 2024: Kick off

The kick-off for the new "ARENA2036 Tech Forum Metaverse" format took place with participants from eight companies. After a round of introductions, the individual interests and focal points as well as synergies within the ARENA2036 community interested in the Metaverse were discussed and the next steps agreed.