No other topic took 2021 by storm quite like the metaverse. As we all experienced yet another year of living through a pandemic, the idea of a new, immersive reality captured the interests and imaginations of many. As with any new concept, it's helpful to level set on what the metaverse is -- or will be. I like how my Unity colleague and one of the early pioneers of 3D media and virtual reality, Tony Parisi, put it in his excellent article on the metaverse: "The metaverse is the next evolution of the internet … enhanced and upgraded to consistently deliver 3D content, spatially organized information and experiences, and real-time synchronous communication." Much of the attention around the metaverse to date has centered on social experiences where people can meet up, but I'm most excited by the potential of the "industrial metaverse" where the goal doesn't have anything to do with social interaction; rather, it's about simulating experiences in the virtual world before moving into the physical world.

AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading aviation services provider to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, has announced the integration of Donecle drone technology into its award-winning maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. AAR s Miami MRO facility is the first in its global network to use the fully automated drone technology to drive operational and cost efficiencies, where the pilot phase has yielded increases in speed and precision. With laser positioning, the drone can safely perform end-to-end visual inspections of B737 and A320 aircraft in under an hour. "In exploring opportunities to increase efficiencies and best utilize our skilled workforce, AAR continually assesses opportunities to digitally enable our businesses," said Rahul Ghai, AAR Chief Digital Officer. "In the case of our MRO sites, our investments in technologies like drones, machine learning and mobile devices will drive a more efficient operation, optimized technician schedules, as well as improved turnaround times achieved through faster and more accurate inspections and maintenance plan execution. This will lead to ultimately higher customer satisfaction, while helping us build out richer data to enhance our overall maintenance planning and execution capabilities."

Aircraft maker Airbus is turning to smart industrial drones, data analytics and machine learning to make aircraft inspections easier and faster. One day while working on a shiny new Airbus A350 aircraft, Ronie Gnecco figured it was time to build a better relationship between drones and passenger airplanes. His bold idea to use flying robots for aircraft safety inspections worked so well it has -- among other projects -- it inspired aircraft manufacturer Airbus to move deeper into the industrial drone revolution. Within a couple of years, the company's intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) systems could be used for safety inspections at airports around the world, making planes safer with more on-time flight departures. To make that happen, Gnecco said it will require pioneering efforts from technology experts, regulators and airport authorities from around the world.

Airbus demonstrated its new inspection process at the Farnborough Airshow, where a drone equipped with an Intel RealSense camera autonomously circled an A330 while rapidly snapping photos. The images were then applied to a 3D model of the aircraft that allowed inspectors to get a close, detailed look at the subject. It still takes awhile to inspect the digital model, but in all, it's much faster. Gathering the inspection data by hand takes about two hours. Using a drone takes only 10 to 15 minutes.