The metaverse hype that surged during the Covid-19 pandemic has largely fizzled out, as Korean tech companies shut down the virtual meetup services they launched during the heyday with an ambition to impact social media and gatherings culture.
I think all of those applications will, or already have, develop independently of something like Facebook metaverse. If anything meta is taking those useful applications and trying to turn it into a household product that nobody needs.
Remote medical procedures, remote military weapons, remote repair of datellites, etc. will all benefit as well.
Do any of these applications really require AR / VR though?
Require? No.
Likely to be improved by more spacial awareness? Yes.
I think all of those applications will, or already have, develop independently of something like Facebook metaverse. If anything meta is taking those useful applications and trying to turn it into a household product that nobody needs.