From Virtual Simulation to Digital Twins in Online Laboratories

Virtual simulation and digital twins are two vital methodologies to achieve visual-based simulation. This paper will discuss common features and also differences between the two methodologies regarding the use purposes, requirements, and enabling technologies, etc. Virtual simulation is mainly used for education, for which physical test rigs are not necessarily required. While for digital twins, they can be employed for education and research purposes, and the corresponding physical test rigs are typically required. To illustrate the detailed design and implementation of virtual simulation and digital twins, the experience with networked control system laboratory (NCSLab) is taken as an example. Various different kinds of three-dimensional test rigs have been developed for virtual simulation, which has been utilized for education for years. The methodologies to achieve digital twin online laboratories are also explored using NCSLab.