Digital Twins in Extended Reality for Control System Applications

In this paper, we investigate potential applications of digital twins (DT) in extended reality (XR) to control systems. Specifically, we are interested in facilitating industrial use of XR and DT by initially implementing training applications that can be used in the classroom and then moving into the development of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications suitable for industrial use. A comprehensive literature review is performed providing the basis and motivation for this research endeavor. In the pilot study, we use a real-life laboratory model of a multi-tank system as a use case. We develop a digital twin for this control object in extended reality with all necessary interaction mechanics, and connect it to the real plant for performing real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experiments. The theoretical bases and the technical development are detailed in the paper, and results of an illustrative experiment are provided and commented upon.