The rise of metaverse manufacturing: towards a universal, sustainable and bioinspired industrial ecosystem

How will manufacturing evolve in response to increasing global complexity, sustainability demands and rapid digital transformation? Current systems, characterized by fragmentation, inefficiencies and limited responsiveness, are inadequately equipped for future challenges. This paper introduces metaverse manufacturing (MM), a transformative approach that fundamentally differs from Industry 4.0's purely technology-driven initiatives and Industry 5.0's still-theoretical proposals. MM uniquely integrates physical and virtual worlds through a universal metaverse platform, enabling instant, decentralized collaboration among diverse stakeholders-humans, technologies and organizations-beyond geographical and disciplinary barriers. Built on principles from complex adaptive systems theory and leveraging extended reality, digital twins, artificial intelligence, blockchain and biomimetic innovations, MM facilitates personalized production, localized manufacturing and real-time global collaboration. For instance, in a future pandemic-like scenario, MM could quickly mobilize global expertise to design, prototype and distribute customized medical devices locally, drastically cutting response times and environmental impacts. Although significant technological, societal and infrastructural challenges remain, MM represents a realistic pathway towards achieving numerous United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Looking 20 years ahead, MM could reshape industrial ecosystems, fostering unprecedented interdisciplinary innovation and collaboration.