Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M.López Iturri, PeioLopes, Sérgio IvanFalcone, FranciscoFraga-Lamas, Paula2026-09-142026-09-142026-12T. M. Fernández-Caramés, P. Lopez-Iturri, S. Ivan Lopes, F. Falcone, and P. Fraga-Lamas, "From Smart Factories to Meta-Factories: the Evolution towards the Industrial Metaverse", Results in Engineering, Vol. 32, Dec. 2026, 112647, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.1126472590-1230https://hdl.handle.net/2183/49215[Abstract]: This article introduces the concept of Meta-Factory, an evolution of a Smart Factory that harnesses the benefits of integrating Industrial Metaverse (I-verse) applications within an industrial environment through advanced Extended Reality (XR) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) nodes, and other Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies. Specifically, this article analyzes the groundwork for developing future Meta-Factories by providing an in-depth exploration of the key technologies that support such a concept: the latest XR, communications, Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Ledger and traceability technologies, as well as the use of Opportunistic Edge Computing (OEC) communications for the interaction with surrounding IoT/IIoT devices. Moreover, it examines the creation of next-generation Meta-Factory applications, along with a detailed analysis of the main research directions. As a result, this article provides a holistic perspective and valuable guidelines for future researchers aimed at shaping the future of Meta-Factories.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Industrial MetaverseExtended realityOpportunistic edge computingDigital twinsIndustrial internet of thingsMeta-factoryIndustry 4.0Industry 5.0journal articleopen access10.1016/j.rineng.2026.112647