Impulse dynamics and augmented reality for real-time interactive digital twin exploration and interrogation

Digital twins are revolutionizing many engineering fields due to the availability of advanced and reliable instruments for continuous real-time monitoring, control, interrogation, and optimization of a system throughout its entire life cycle. Digital twins can be successfully integrated with augmented reality tools to enhance and facilitate communication from and to the user. The paper discusses a comprehensive methodology to implement and manage digital twins of rigid-link mechanisms, which require real-time dynamic simulation with input and output from sensors and actuators. The entire methodology is enhanced by integrating the Microsoft Hololens 2 augmented reality headset to implement interactive communication using natural interfaces. The paper includes an in-depth discussion of the general and modular approach and a detailed example of an application with an assessment of the accuracy of the simulation results.