VR, AR, and AI for Industry 5.0: Human-Centric and Sustainable Ecosystems

Across industrial sectors, the way humans interact with machines, data, and complex systems is rapidly changing. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are no longer confined to research laboratories or pilot projects: they are increasingly embedded in factories, logistics chains, energy systems, healthcare delivery, and smart infrastructure. Together, these technologies are shaping the transition toward Industry 5.0, where human factors and sustainability are built in from the start, not added at the end.The combination of immersive technologies and AI boost the creation of richer, more intelligible interfaces to cyber-physical systems and data spaces. VR/AR/MR can make invisible processes visible, allowing workers, engineers, and decision-makers to step inside digital twins, simulate operations, and rehearse critical procedures in safe environments. AI can personalize training, optimize workflows, support human decision-making, and manage interactions between many different agents and systems. When aligned with Industry 5.0 values, these technologies can help promote safer workplaces, more inclusive upskilling and reskilling, and more sustainable production and maintenance practices.At the same time, this transformation raises urgent questions: How can we ensure that immersive and AI-enabled tools respect workers’ autonomy, well-being, and dignity? How do we design human–machine collaboration that is transparent, trustworthy, and explainable? What governance, standards, and evaluation methods are needed to ensure that VR/AR/AI deployments contribute to environmental sustainability, rather than increasing resource consumption and e-waste? And how can organizations in different regions and sectors build capacities to adopt these technologies in fair, scalable, and context-sensitive ways? This Research Topic invites contributions that examine VR, AR, MR, XR, and AI as integrated components of Industry 5.0 ecosystems. We welcome work from manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, energy, mobility, construction, public services, and other domains, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions. Submissions may include empirical studies, prototypes and case studies, design-based research, frameworks, methods, reviews, and critical reflections that clarify what works, for whom, and under which conditions.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Immersive VR/AR/MR training and upskilling for industrial, healthcare, and safety-critical contexts;• Human–machine collaboration, cobots, and human-in-the-loop AI in XR environments;• Digital twins, simulation, and visualization of complex industrial systems using VR/AR and AI;• AI-driven personalization, recommendation, and decision support in immersive interfaces;• Evaluation of human factors, well-being, trust, and ergonomics in VR/AR/AI deployments;• Responsible, green, and sustainable design of immersive and AI-enabled industrial solutions;• Standards, governance, and regulatory perspectives on VR/AR/AI in Industry 5.0;• Inclusive design for diverse workers and stakeholders, including accessibility and safety;• Cross-sectoral case studies linking Industry 5.0 to UN SDGs (e.g., decent work, responsible consumption, health, and climate action).This Research Topic aims to bring together interdisciplinary contributions that show how VR, AR, and AI can concretely advance a more human-centric and sustainable Industry 5.0. Topic editors: Ingrid Winkler, Alexandre Gomes de Siqueira, Y Y Cai, Arlindo Rodrigues Galvão Filho Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77300/vr-ar-and-ai-for-industry-50-human-centric-and-sustainable-ecosystems