Publication: Opportunities for an XR-Based Service Concept in Supporting Industrial Maintenance, Induction and Safety
A report published in the series of the Pori Unit of Turku School of Economics examines the opportunities that XR technologies can offer for developing maintenance, onboarding, safety and collaboration in manufacturing industry. The publication focuses in particular on the feasibility and business potential of two service concepts: a shared XR-based maintenance service and a more limited XR-assisted simulation service.
Based on the study, XR solutions can create value especially in the preparation of maintenance work, safety training, induction, remote support and collaboration in multi-actor industrial environments. The results also highlight that technological feasibility alone is not enough. Successful adoption requires up-to-date source data, a clearly defined use case, ease of use and demonstrable benefits for companies.
The report is in Finnish and includes an abstract in English. Download the publication: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0765-6
Why the Metaverse?
The metaverse refers to a digital environment in which the physical world, digital models and user activity can be brought together. In practice, this may mean, for example, a virtual space where machines, production environments, work processes or services can be examined in a visual, interactive and easy-to-understand way. The metaverse is therefore not limited to virtual reality. It can make use of several technologies, including 3D models, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and different data sources.
The metaverse is an evolving application area of digital technologies, and its practical opportunities are currently being identified and tested across different sectors. For this reason, it is important for regional companies, higher education institutions and development organisations to recognise at an early stage what kinds of opportunities the metaverse and related technologies may offer for business, competence development and new forms of collaboration.
Project Objectives
The aim of the Satakunta Metaversum for Business project is to build a shared understanding among higher education institutions, the Robocoast cluster, industry, and other companies and organisations interested in RDI activities of what the metaverse means in practice and what potential impacts it may have on companies’ current business operations.
The project identifies use cases in which metaverse-related solutions could be applied in business. From these, one to two use cases are selected for concept-level analysis. The selected use cases are assessed through a technological maturity analysis, and their business potential is evaluated. The results have been published in the report introduced at the beginning of this page.
Another objective is to strengthen teaching-related stakeholder collaboration between TSE Pori and companies. In practice, this includes cooperation related to company visits, course assignments, project work and theses. This gives companies and other stakeholders an opportunity to become familiar with potential future employees and to gain fresh perspectives on the development of their operations. At the same time, students gain insight into practical business challenges and the operating environments of different sectors. Up-to-date information on stakeholder collaboration related to studies will be available on the Turku School of Economics Pori Unit website.
Project Partners
Lead partner: Prizztech Oy
Co-partner: Pori Unit of Turku School of Economics, University of Turku
Project period: 1 August 2024 – 31 July 2026
The project is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. The funding was granted by the Regional Council of Satakunta as part of sustainable urban development funding linked to the City of Pori’s ecosystem agreement. The ecosystem agreements are part of the Innovative Cities and Communities development framework coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. The project is also funded by the City of Pori.
