In industry 4.0/5.0 era, the demand becomes more uncertain, which requires smarter and more flexible manufacturing systems. Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) is a typical paradigm for dealing with demand changes supporting by reconfigurable machine tools (RMT). Recently, smart RMS (SRMS) as the evolution version of RMS driven by new technologies (Digital twin, AI, etc.) was proposed. Reconfiguration remains one of the core research topics in RMS/SRMS, yet the lack of empirical reconfiguration data has significantly limited progress. Therefore, this study constructs a new benchmark dataset of RMT reconfiguration times based on desktop-level RMT suites. While this dataset is not a direct representation of industrial-scale RMTs, it provides a valuable initial reference and foundation for subsequent optimization research. And then, a reconfiguration path optimization problem of SRMS with RMTs is investigated based on the proposed benchmark dataset, which the number of RMTs, the reconfiguration time and the cost of reconfiguration and RMT investment are selected as optimization objectives. The NSGA-Ⅲ algorithm is employed to solve the problem, leveraging its advantage in maintaining solution diversity in high-dimensional objective spaces. Moreover, a case study is provided to implement the proposed benchmark dataset and reconfiguration path optimization method. The results highlight not only the effectiveness of the optimization approach but also the potential and limitations of applying the constructed dataset, paving the way for future validation in industrial-scale SRMS.

In recent years, the emergence of the Metaverse has created a significant impact worldwide. It represents the ultimate application of the latest information and communication technologies, introducing a brand new digital world to our society. With the industry sector being the core engine of our society, it holds the key to unlocking the potential of Metaverse application, particularly in the form of an Industrial Metaverse. The success of the Industrial Metaverse will greatly contribute to the overall development of the Metaverse. Therefore, this paper conducts a survey on the Metaverse to gather evidence of the growing trend towards an Industrial Metaverse. Furthermore, the key technologies required for implementing an Industrial Metaverse are analyzed. Lastly, the opportunities and challenges associated with the Industrial Metaverse are discussed.