A Real-Time Distance Measurement System for a Digital Twin Using Mixed Reality Goggles

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Industrial Automation

Background:

• Industrial device control traditionally relies on physical interfaces.
• Integrating virtual representations with physical systems offers potential for enhanced control and monitoring.
• Mixed Reality (MR) technology enables immersive interaction with digital and physical environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel system architecture for controlling industrial devices using Mixed Reality (MR).
• To introduce a new method for measuring distances between real and virtual points within an MR environment.
• To evaluate the system's responsiveness and the accuracy of distance estimation.

Main Methods:

• Developed an MR system integrating physical robots and their Digital Twins (DT).
• Implemented gesture recognition via MR goggles for robot control.
• Utilized an industrial Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for system supervision and robot command execution.
• Analyzed the extension of the robot's environment with a 3D model synchronized with its movements.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the feasibility of controlling a physical robot and its DT using MR-based gestures.
• Presented a method for accurate distance measurement between real and virtual points.
• Preliminary results indicated system responsiveness and highlighted the influence of parameters on distance estimation accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MR system architecture offers a viable approach for industrial device control.
• The developed distance measurement method shows promise for applications involving physical-virtual object interaction.
• Further research can optimize system parameters for enhanced accuracy in MR-guided industrial operations.