EU Parliament wants human-centered virtual worlds

The European Parliament is pushing for the EU to play a leading role in shaping virtual worlds. In a plenary session in January 2024, it was emphasized that these worlds should be based on EU values and consistently apply existing EU laws in the areas of civil law, digital, liability and intellectual property. The EU should take the lead in raising public awareness, improving digital skills and facilitating access to technology. MEPs call for clear guidelines for all stakeholders and emphasize the importance of sustainable and human-centric virtual worlds.

The federal funding project "5G Troisdorf IndustrieStadtpark" has already implemented a corresponding industrial metaverse demonstrator for remote maintenance and training in the field of mechanical engineering and production under the leadership of Fraunhofer FIT. It is based on fast, wireless internet with 5G, remote rendering of CAD data and mobile mixed reality and virtual reality data glasses.

The centerpieces are a production machine from project partner ZWi Technologies, which is used on the production line of project partner Kuraray Europe in Troisdorf, and its digital twin. The machine's digital design data is displayed precisely in the user's field of vision on the data glasses and enriched with information. Communication between the remote users on the digital twin of the production machine is supported by avatars, pointing gestures, direct manipulation and audio and video communication.

This enables, for example, distributed learning scenarios in the area of machine operation and maintenance, including an active exchange in virtual space between operators and the service desk.

"The Industrial Metaverse promises a range of benefits for manufacturing companies. In production, for example, companies could optimize their processes and increase the efficiency of their production workflows by networking production systems, machines and people," says Prof. Dr. Stefan Decker, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT and patron of the Industrial Metaverse topic in the Fraunhofer ICT Group. However, a strategically important next step is also the integration of other technologies for a future-proof industrial metaverse, such as artificial intelligence, distributed ledgers or the development of data spaces, Decker continues.

"The objectives of our project anticipate the measures called for by the EU Parliament. The project is pursuing a human-centered development approach, taking into account ergonomic criteria. In addition, current EU standards and recommendations in the field of data protection and data security will be implemented to enable companies in the industrial metaverse to operate and do business securely," says project coordinator Dr. Leif Oppermann, Head of the Mixed and Augmented Reality Solutions Group at Fraunhofer FIT.