LAS VEGAS -- Hyundai Motor has partnered up with Unity, the world’s leading platform for real-time 3D content, to connect an actual factory with its digital twin operating on metaverse space, the companies said Thursday.

The Meta-Factory project will enhance plant management and innovate manufacturing, Hyundai Motor said, adding that it plans to first apply the concept to the Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center in Singapore. The facility is due to be completed this year.

”Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center in Singapore will become a game changer in manufacturing innovation through this world class Meta-Factory collaboration,“ said Chi Young-cho, President and Chief Innovation Officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “And the center will introduce various technologies that will transform the mobility paradigm and innovate value chains toward more human-centered ones.”

Unity will be in charge of creating the Meta-Factory virtually, providing a real-time image rendering technology, and developing a customized management system.

Hyundai said that implementing the Meta-Factory concept to manufacturing plants can help enhance productivity as it allows the carmaker to test-run a factory virtually so that it can calculate optimized plant operation. It also enables plant managers to solve problems without having to physically visit the plant.

Hyundai Motor plans to cooperate not only with Unity to come up with innovative ways to use the metaverse technology, but also with other top-tier technology companies such as Microsoft.

“Real-time digital twins will permanently change how we live, work, shop and make a positive impact on our planet, representing a significant component of what is often referred to as the metaverse,” said John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer of Unity. “Hyundai’s vision for the future, including the digital twin of factory operations, represents a significant technological step forward in manufacturing with unlimited potential in its efficiency.”

By Hong Yoo, Korea Herald correspondent
(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)