Method and system for optimizing product design in metaverse environment

Abstract

A system (200) and method (100) for optimizing product design in metaverse environment. The method includes receiving design data associated with a product to be designed and determining a digital user (304) associated with the product and a virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the design data associated with the product. The method also includes allowing an interaction between the digital user (304) and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment and determining a haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product. Further, the method includes modifying the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment and displaying the modified product design in the metaverse environment.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING PRODUCT DESIGN IN

[0002] METAVERSE ENVIRONMENT

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] The present invention relates generally to product design management, and more specifically to a method and system for optimizing product design in a metaverse environment based on a haptic feedback provided to a human and collaboration in real-time.

[0005] Product design is a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve a specific user problem in a given market. A new product may be designed to respond to a stated design objective such as for example desired feature or an intended use. In order to come up with a successful product design a designer needs to understand end-user customer, a person for whom the product is being designed.

[0006] Conventionally, the product design is performed in a multi-disciplinary engineering setting, where engineers spanning across disciplines and locations collaborate sequentially to arrive at an optimum design configuration. However, the conventional product designing approach is sequential and a black box approach. Also, the conventional product designing approach is not performed in real time and therefore a lag in rerun of product design iterations. Generally, the conventional product designing approach is iterative in nature and takes considerable time for all stakeholders to converge. To add to the problem, if the teams are in different locations, collaboration between the teams becomes difficult eventually reducing the efficiency of the product designing process. Also, the conventional approach is not immersive and hence the designer is not at the centre of the product designing process.

[0007] In light of the above, there remains a need for an improved method of collaboration between multidisciplinary teams in real-time for the product designing process. Also, a personalized product designing requires understanding the end-user’s requirements at the stage of product designing itself. Therefore, the product designing process needs to be comprehensive and include methods of receiving a feedback from the end-user for whom the product is being designed. Also, there is a lack of an approach to enable product designers to have an immersive experience during optimization of the product designing process.

[0008] An emerging concept complementing the rapid industrial development is “the industrial metaverse”. The industrial metaverse is a next generation of fully immersive three-dimensional collaborative space that integrates multiple technical directions such as digital twin, internet of things, industrial internet, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and the like. Metaverse is a virtual universe with shared, 3D virtual spaces where virtual assets can be owned, placed and interacted with. It also allows different users to interact with each other in the collaborative environment. These virtual assets can be simple entities like chair or table, or complex entities like industrial machinery.

[0009] Generally, a domain expert is at a centre of the product designing process and designs the product in consultation with other domain experts. The conventional product designing methods include even though multidiscipline teams coming together to create a product, there are several gaps that need to be addressed. The conventional approaches are black box in nature and does not provide a feeling of “product connectedness”. Moreover, the immersive-ness is missing and there is no interaction with the product during the optimization process. Additionally, there is a long convergence time for such an approach. The domain expert leads to suboptimal solutions, though the product design may be feasible. This also means that domain experts need to be available for collaborative product design, leading to resource constraints. The interactive ness is still missing. Therefore, the conventional methods lack a unified approach to deal with collaborative product design, where they lack a real time, immersive and interactive mode of communication during the product design process.

[0010] The present invention seeks to overcome these challenges by bringing the process of the product designing to a collaborative environment such as the metaverse where several multi-disciplinary teams create their respective workflows. These workflows are then linked to each other by also integrating with an optimizer using design rules. The respective simulations and a system level optimization is triggered for automated execution. Therefore, the disciplinary teams come together in the metaverse environment and concurrently create the product design in real time faster than the conventional methods.

[0011] Therefore, the revised approach enhances the efficiency of the product designing process by reducing the time required to get the product to the market and also reduces the cost factor involved in the product designing process.

[0012] The object of the present invention is achieved by a computer-implemented method for optimizing product design in metaverse environment. The method includes receiving design data associated with a product to be designed and determining a digital user associated with the product and a virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the design data associated with the product. Further, the method includes allowing an interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment and determining a haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product. The method also includes modifying the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment and displaying the modified product design in the metaverse environment.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the design data associated with the product comprises at least one of a conceptual sketch of a product to be designed and information associated with a usage of the product.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the information associated with the usage of the product comprises information associated with at least one of the user of the product, an environment for the usage of the product and a plurality of parameters associated with the product.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the digital user associated with the product comprises one of a digital twin of the user, and an avatar of the user.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, determining the haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user includes determining a plurality of experience parameters based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment and determining the haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the plurality of experience parameters.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, further includes displaying the design data associated with the product and the determined haptic feedback to a plurality of users in the metaverse environment, in real-time, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a design aspect of the product. The method includes receiving at least one input for modifying at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product from the plurality of users based on the haptic feedback, in the metaverse environment and modifying at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product from the plurality of users based on the at least one input, in the metaverse environment\. Further, the method includes determining an impact score representative of an impact of the modification of the at least one parameter, on at least one another parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product and optimizing the product design based on the impact score.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment comprises performing a set of actions by the digital user on the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes storing the impact score associated with the product in a database for automatic optimization of the product design.

[0020] The object of the present invention is also achieved by a system for optimizing product design in metaverse environment. The system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to receive information associated with a product to be designed. The processor is configured to determine a digital user associated with the product and a model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the information associated with the product and allow an interaction between the digital user and the model of the product in the metaverse environment. Further, the processor is also configured to determine a haptic feedback for customizing the product to the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the model of the product, modify the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment, and display the modified product design in the metaverse environment.

[0021] The object of the present invention is further achieved by a computer program code which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out steps of the aforementioned method.

[0022] The object of the present invention is further achieved by a computer program product comprising computer program code which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out steps of the aforementioned method.

[0023] Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. The invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details may be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

[0024] A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant aspects thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings:

[0025] FIG 1 is a flowchart representation of a computer-implemented method for optimizing product design in metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention!

[0026] FIG 2 is a block diagram representation of a system for optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention! FIG 3 is an exemplary depiction of collaborative and real time product design in the metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention!

[0027] FIG 4 is an exemplary depiction of optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] Various embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. It may be evident that such embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

[0029] Examples of a method, a system, and a computer-program product for optimizing product design in metaverse environment are disclosed herein. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the invention.

[0030] Conventional methods and systems used for product designing follow black box approaches and do not allow a human to interact with the product in an immersive environment. As a result, the product may not be customized to the user for whom it is being designed. Further, the conventional approaches focus on mass-production approaches where a one-size-fits-all logic is used in designing the products which does not customize the products for specific users. For example, consider a woman user buying an automobile. In general, a height of seats required by women drivers may be more than that of men drivers as women may be shorter than men. However, the automobiles may be designed using dummies of men’s body type which may not be suitable for women. Unlike to the conventional methods and the systems, the proposed solution allows designers to experience the product in the immersive environment leading to a more optimal and satisfying design. Also, the proposed solution determines the haptic feedback based on the touch -and-feel experience of the product by the user in the immersive environment. Therefore, the proposed solution ensures that the product is customized specifically for the user using it and just not mass produced.

[0031] In the conventional methods and systems, multidisciplinary teams work on the product design one discipline at a time, with not so efficient ways to give feedback to one another. As a result, the optimization in the context of multidisciplines is not very efficient and effective. Also, the multidisciplinary teams may take considerable time to converge in a multidisciplinary setting, since they iterate in a black box environment amid no feedback from the human. Unlike to the conventional methods and the systems, the proposed solution all the disciplines of the multidisciplinary teams interact with the product design at the same time in real-time in the immersive environment, while the optimization happens in the background. Therefore, the proposed solution leads to reduction in cycle time, by also taking real time feedback from the human avatar in the metaverse environment and due to the real-time collaboration of the multidisciplinary teams.

[0032] Referring now to FIG 1, illustrated is a flowchart of a method (as represented by reference numeral 100) for optimizing product design in metaverse environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As used herein, product designing refers to a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve a specific user problem in a given market. This approach aims to bring in optimization to the product designing process by enabling a digital version of users to interact with the product in the immersive environment and determine haptic feedback which is then used to customize the product to the user. As a result, the product designing is optimized and the product customized to the needs of the user, rather than the mass production approach.

[0033] Further, the product designing process is also optimized when the product designing is performed in the immersive environment like the metaverse which enables real-time modification of the product design based on collaboration of various teams involved in the product designing process. As a result, the time required for designing of the product is reduced drastically as there is no two- and-fro review required of the product design between multiple teams involved in the product designing process due to real-time collaboration in the metaverse environment. This will be beneficial for faster deployment of the product to the market and also reduce the cost involved in the process.

[0034] Referring to FIG 2, illustrated is a block diagram of a system 200 for optimizing product design in metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. It may be appreciated that the system 200 described herein may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof. One or more of the present embodiments may take a form of a computer program product comprising program modules accessible from computer-usable or computer- readable medium storing program code for use by or in connection with one or more computers, processors, or instruction execution system. For the purpose of this description, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any apparatus that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium may be electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation mediums in and of themselves as signal carriers are not included in the definition of physical computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and optical disk such as compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk read / write, and digital versatile disc (DVD). Both processors and program code for implementing each aspect of the technology may be centralized or distributed (or a combination thereof) as known to those skilled in the art.

[0035] In an example, the system 200 may be embodied as a computer-program product 200 programmed for performing the said purpose. The system 200 may be incorporated in one or more physical packages (e.g., chips of a head mounted display device). By way of example, a physical package includes an arrangement of one or more materials, components, and / or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard) to provide one or more characteristics such as physical strength, conservation of size, and / or limitation of electrical interaction. It is contemplated that in certain embodiments the computing device may be implemented in a single chip. As illustrated, the system 200 includes a communication mechanism such as a bus 202 for passing information among the components of the system 200. The system 200 includes a processor 204 and a memory 206. Herein, the memory 206 is communicatively coupled to the processor 204. In an example, the memory 206 may be embodied as a computer readable medium on which program code sections of a computer program are saved, the program code sections being loadable into and / or executable in a system to make the system 200 execute the steps for performing the said purpose.

[0036] Generally, as used herein, the term “processor” refers to a computational element that is operable to respond to and processes instructions that drive the system 200. Optionally, the processor includes, but is not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or any other type of processing circuit. Furthermore, the term “processor” may refer to one or more individual processors, processing devices and various elements associated with a processing device that may be shared by other processing devices. Additionally, the one or more individual processors, processing devices and elements are arranged in various architectures for responding to and processing the instructions that drive the system 200.

[0037] Herein, the memory 206 may be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The memory 206 may be coupled for communication with the processor 204. The processor 204 may execute instructions and / or code stored in the memory 206. A variety of computer-readable storage media may be stored in and accessed from the memory 206. The memory 206 may include any suitable elements for storing data and machine-readable instructions, such as read only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, a hard drive, a removable media drive for handling compact disks, digital video disks, diskettes, magnetic tape cartridges, memory cards, and the like.

[0038] In particular, the processor 204 has connectivity to the bus 202 to execute instructions and process information stored in the memory 206. The processor 204 may include one or more processing cores with each core configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor enables multiprocessing within a single physical package. Examples of a multi-core processor include two, four, eight, or greater numbers of processing cores. Alternatively, or in addition, the processor 204 may include one or more microprocessors configured in tandem via the bus 202 to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, and multithreading. The processor 204 may also be accompanied with one or more specialized components to perform certain processing functions and tasks such as one or more digital signal processors (DSP), and / or one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASIC). Other specialized components to aid in performing the inventive functions described herein include one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) (not shown), one or more controllers (not shown), or one or more other special-purpose computer chips.

[0039] The system 200 may further include an interface 208, such as a communication interface (with the said terms being interchangeably used) which may enable the system 200 to communicate with other systems for receiving and transmitting information. The communication interface 208 may include a medium (e.g., a communication channel) through which the system 200 communicates with other system. Examples of the communication interface 208 may include, but are not limited to, a communication channel in a computer cluster, a Local Area Communication channel (LAN), a cellular communication channel, a wireless sensor communication channel (WSN), a cloud communication channel, a Metropolitan Area Communication channel (MAN), and / or the Internet. Optionally, the communication interface 208 may include one or more of a wired connection, a wireless network, cellular networks such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G mobile networks, and a Zigbee connection.

[0040] The system 200 also includes a database 210. As used herein, the database 210 is an organized collection of structured data, typically stored in a computer system and designed to be easily accessed, managed, and updated. The database 210 may be in form of a central repository of information that can be queried, analysed, and processed to support various applications and business processes. In the system 200, the database 210 provides mechanisms for storing, retrieving, updating, and deleting data, and typically includes features such as data validation, security, backup and recovery, and data modelling. The database 210 includes design data associated with the product, information associated with the usage of the product and haptic feedback for customizing the product for the specific user, which may be retrieved for future modification of the product design.

[0041] The system 200 further includes an input device 212 and an output device 214. The input device 212 may take various forms depending on the specific application of the system 200. In an example, the input device 212 may include one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen display, a microphone, a camera, or any other hardware component that enables the user to interact with the system 200 in the metaverse environment. Further, the output device 214 may be in the form of a head mounted display (HMD) for example but not limited to HoloLens or smart goggles, etc. It is to be understood that, when reference is made in the present invention to the term “display” this refers generically either to a display screen on its own or to the screen and an associated housing, drive circuitry and possibly a physical supporting structure, of which all, or part of is provided for displaying information.

[0042] In the present system 200, the processor 204 and accompanying components have connectivity to the memory 206 via the bus 202. The memory 206 includes both dynamic memory (e.g., RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and static memory (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) for storing executable instructions that when executed perform the method steps described herein for optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment. In particular, the memory 206 includes a product design management unit 216 to perform steps for optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment. Also, in the system 200, the memory 206 may be configured to store the data associated with or generated by the execution of the inventive steps. Referring to FIGS 1 and 2 in combination, the various steps of the method 100 as described hereinafter may be executed in the system 200, or specifically in the processor 204 of the system 200, for - optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment. For purposes of the present invention, the optimizing the product design in the metaverse environment present method 100 is embodied as a designing algorithm for optimizing the product designing process in the metaverse environment. It may be appreciated that although the method 100 is illustrated and described as a sequence of steps, it may be contemplated that various embodiments of the method 100 may be performed in any order or a combination and need not include all of the illustrated steps.

[0043] In embodiments of the present invention, at step 101, the method 100 includes receiving design data associated with a product to be designed. The design data associated with the product may include but not limited to a conceptual sketch of a product to be designed and information associated with a usage of the product. For example, if the product to be designed in a vehicle, then the conceptual sketch of that vehicle along with the details of the usage of the vehicle is received. The information associated with the usage of the product may include but not limited to information associated with the user of the product, an environment for the usage of the product and a plurality of parameters associated with the product. For example, if the vehicle is to be used for racing or for regular usage, a possible terrain where the vehicle will be used, various parameters of the vehicle such as dimensions of seats personalized to the user of the vehicle, type of material to be used for the seats, type of tyres to be used for the vehicle, etc.

[0044] To receive the design data, the system 200 may interface with a product design management system through an Application Programming Interface (API) or other data exchange mechanisms, via the interface 208. Once the design data has been received, those can be stored in the database 210, which serves as a central repository for the data required by the system 200. The database 210 may be designed using relational or non-relational database management systems, depending on the specific requirements and preferences of the system 200. At step 102, the method 100 includes determining a digital user associated with the product and a virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the design data associated with the product. The digital user associated with the product can be for example but not limited to a digital twin of the user, and an avatar of the user. Here, a motion capture device is provided in the system 200 which provides estimates of the various parameters associated with the user’s body for determining the user’s avatar. The various parameters associated with the user’s body can be for example but not limited to height, body frame, weight, posture, etc. The same is used to replicate in the metaverse environment to create the digital user. The motion capture device can be for example but not limited to a camera, an infrared sensor, etc. The motion capture device captures the various parameters associated with the user’s body and generates a motion capture file which is stored in the database 210.

[0045] The digital user associated with the product can be determined by both first principles models which are based on fundamental understanding and statistical models. Various attributes of one or more humans can be modelled. The attributes may be in at least one of the categories such as for example but not limited to physical attributes, physiological attributes, perceptual performance attributes, cognitive performance attributes, personality characteristics attributes, emotional state attributes, etc. The physiological attributes can include anthropometric attributes, biomechanics attributes, times required for task completion, eye movements, etc. The physiological attributes can include measures such as heart rate, heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, muscle tension, blood oxygen level, brain electrophysiologic signals, pupillometry, blink rates and timing, peripheral blood flow, and gastronomical activity. However, these are intended to correlate to higher level physiological measures such as fatigue, circadian cycle, alertness level, and activation or engagement level. The perceptual performance attributes can include auditory sensitivity, visual sensitivity, color sensitivity, contrast sensitivity, pressure sensitivity, pain thresholds, temperature sensitivity, etc. The cognitive performance attributes can include knowledge, skills, abilities or aptitudes, workload level, situation awareness, decision-making abilities, etc. The personality characteristics attributes can include personality type, propensity to trust, and propensity towards suspicion. The emotional state attributes can include feelings experienced by the user within their current circumstance, including fear, and anxiety.

[0046] Further, the design data associated with the product which are received in step 101 are used to generate the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment. For example, if the product designing process is associated with a car, then a virtual model of the car is generated in the metaverse environment. Therefore, both the user and the product which is being personalized for the user are represented in the metaverse environment. Also, the design data associated with the product along with the virtual model of the product and the digital user associated with the product are displayed in real-time to a plurality of users who are associated with a design aspect of the product. In the above example, the plurality of users associated with the car can be design engineer, automobile engineer, mechanical engineer, manufacturing engineer etc, associated with the manufacturing of the car.

[0047] At step 103, the method 100 includes allowing an interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment. The interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment includes performing a set of actions by the digital user on the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment. The set of actions are performed to determine an ease of access of the product to the specific user for personalization. For example, the human avatar of the user can be allowed to sit and drive the virtual model of the car in the metaverse environment. This would allow the real user to understand whether the ergonomics of the car are suitable to the user or needs any modification.

[0048] The interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product is provided only in the metaverse environment which provides the advantage of immersiveness, interactiveness and collaboration. The conventional methods and systems do not allow for the real user experience at the stage of product designing as it caters more to the mass production of the products which is widely driven by the one size fits all approach. The proposed solution unlike the conventional methods and systems, enables the customization of the products to specific users effortlessly by moving the product designing process into the metaverse environment.

[0049] At step 104, the method 100 includes determining a haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product. During the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment, the system 200 determines a plurality of experience parameters. The plurality of experience parameters is then used to determine the haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user. For example, in the product designing of the car described above the plurality of experience parameters can be a stress exerted by the user on seats of the car, pattern of holding a steering wheel by the user, etc.

[0050] This haptic feedback is provided back to the designer of the product to help the designer understand a level of comfort or discomfort that the user experiences at the usage of the product being designed in its current form. The haptic feedback is the main parameter which enables personalization of the product to the user. However, the haptic feedback mechanism can be achieved due to the interactiveness of the metaverse environment and is not provided by the conventional product designing methods. Further, the feedback in the proposed solution may not just be limited to the haptic feedback and may include any other form of feedback due to an outcome of the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product. For example, the interaction can be between the virtual model of two products such as impact test of vehicles.

[0051] At step 105, the method 100 includes modifying the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment and displaying the modified product design in the metaverse environment. Here, the modification of the product design is performed to customize the product to the user based on the haptic feedback. For example, the seat of the car can be modified specific to the user such as provide specific seat heights, cushioning, etc. Once the product design is modified based on the heptic feedback, the modified product design is then displayed to the multiple users in the metaverse environment. The multiple users can still provide inputs for further modifications of the product design.

[0052] When the product design is modified based on the haptic feedback or due to the inputs from the multiple users, the systems 200 determines an impact score representative of an impact of the modification of the parameter that is modified on another parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product. For example, a modification of weight of the car can impact a speed of the car. This is determined in the form of the impact score. Then the product design is optimized based on the impact score. The proposed solution also includes storing the impact score associated with the product in a database 210 for automatic optimization of the product design in future.

[0053] FIG 3 is an exemplary depiction of collaborative and real time product design in the metaverse environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Consider a scenario involving the designing of a turbine blade 300. In the metaverse environment, all the multi-disciplinary engineering users have access to the virtual model of the turbine blade. Also, in the metaverse environment a specific protocol exists for updating the virtual model of the turbine blade and optimization of the same.

[0054] In a scenario involving the designing of the turbine blade, a conceptual parametric sketch of the turbine blade 302 is loaded into the metaverse environment. Consider that an aero engineer 304 modifies a contour of the turbine blade 302 from inner circle 302A to outer circle 302B to make an airflow better, reduce drag and hence increase efficiency of the turbine blade 302. This is done by modifying a geometry of the turbine blade 302 by perturbing the control points on the inner circle 302A. In the proposed solution, immediately an aero performance of the turbine blade 302 is predicted and a mechanical integrity accessed due to the modification made to the contour.

[0055] Further, for any deviations of mechanical limits due to the modification made to the turbine blade 302, a mechanical engineer 306 will make modifications to mechanical parameters to ensure compliance to mechanical properties. The modifications to mechanical parameters can be for example mechanical responses to stresses, deformations, etc all in real time. Therefore, impact of aero perturbation on the mechanical and vice-versa is assessed in real time and visualized by both the teams. Meanwhile, a manufacturing engineer 308 assesses feasibility of producing the turbine blade 302 which is being designed. All the modifications and assessment happen in real time in front of peer disciplinary team members. Once the multidisciplinary teams come to a common understanding, then the “consensus” design is passed through the optimizer 310 to arrive at a final optimized product configuration. Therefore, the proposed solution provides the advantage of collaboration in real-time to develop a final product design with consensus from all the stakeholders along with immersiveness in the product designing which drastically reduces the time required in the product designing process.

[0056] In the existing mechanisms of designing the product the different disciplines work in silos where the aero engineer will modify a portion of the turbine blade 302 and pass it to the mechanical engineer leading to a back-and-forth exchanges of modifications which makes the product designing process cumbersome and time consuming, pass it back to the arrow.

[0057] FIG 4 is an exemplary depiction of optimizing the product design the metaverse environment 400, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Consider an example scenario of designing a chair for a user X. Initially the conceptual sketch of the chair to be designed is provided to the system 200. Further, the system 200 also receives the information associated with the usage of the chair such as for example but not limited to the user X for whom the chair is being designed, weight of the chair, dimensions of the chair, material used for manufacturing the chair, etc.

[0058] Further, a virtual model of the chair 402 in the metaverse environment 400 is generated, based on the design data associated with the chair. Also, a digital user 408 associated with the product is generated by the system 200. Here the digital user associated with the product can be for example a human avatar 408. The system 200 then immersively allows the interaction between the human avatar 408 and the with the product getting designed i.e., the virtual model of the chair 402, in real time in the metaverse environment. The interaction can be for example, the human avatar 408 in the metaverse environment sits on the virtual model of the chair 402to get a personal experience. The real human 404 will receive a haptic feedback, which then gets passed to the optimizer 406 for any course correction. Here, the haptic feedback is determined based on the experience parameters such as a stiffness experienced by the human avatar 408, cushioning provided by the chair, etc. The optimizer 406 then based on the haptic feedback modifies the product design for customizing the chair to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment.

[0059] The optimization of the product design of the chair occurs via an optimizer 406 (for example HEEDS), where the product design of the chair gets optimized for least weight in the presence of stiffness and stability constraints. This way, the product experience will be immersive in real time, leading to a user experienced optimal design.

[0060] Therefore, the proposed solution provides an approach where a human avatar is allowed to interact with the product design and send a haptic feedback to the real human for an immersive experience in product design optimization. Also, all the disciplines interact with the product design in a collaborative and the immersive environment in real-time reducing the time required for the product designing process. As a result, the proposed solution provides enhanced efficiency in designing the product at the same time drastically reducing the time required to get the product to the market.

[0061] While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments, it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments. In view of the present invention, many modifications and variations would be present themselves, to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention, as described herein. The scope of the present invention is, therefore, indicated by the following claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes, modifications, and variations coming within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be considered within their scope. REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0062] 100 method

[0063] 101 step

[0064] 102 step

[0065] 103 step

[0066] 104 step

[0067] 105 step

[0068] 200 system

[0069] 202 bus

[0070] 204 processor

[0071] 206 memory

[0072] 208 interface

[0073] 210 database

[0074] 212 input device

[0075] 214 output device

[0076] 216 product design management unit

[0077] 300 scenario of designing turbine blade

[0078] 302 turbine blade

[0079] 302 A inner circle of conceptual parametric sketch of turbine blade

[0080] 302B outer circle of conceptual parametric sketch of turbine blade

[0081] 304 aero engineer

[0082] 306 mechanical engineer

[0083] 308 manufacturing engineer

[0084] 310 optimizer

[0085] 400 scenario of designing a chair

[0086] 402 virtual model of the chair

[0087] 404 real human

[0088] 406 optimizer

[0089] 408 human avatar

[0090] 400 Factory floor

[0091] 401A Equipment 1

[0092] 40 IB Equipment 2

[0093] 401C Equipment s

[0094] 40 ID Equipment 4 402 Pathways

[0095] 403 Conveyer

[0096] 404 Router

[0097] 405 Dumping area 406 Sorting area

[0098] 407 Charging area

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for optimizing product design in metaverse environment, the method (100) comprising: receiving design data associated with a product to be designed; determining a digital user associated with the product and a virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the design data associated with the product; allowing an interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment; determining a haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product; modifying the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment; and displaying the modified product design in the metaverse environment.

2. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the design data associated with the product comprises at least one of a conceptual sketch of a product to be designed and information associated with a usage of the product.

3. The method (100) according to claim 2, wherein the information associated with the usage of the product comprises information associated with at least one of the user of the product, an environment for the usage of the product and a plurality of parameters associated with the product.

4. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the digital user associated with the product comprises one of a digital twin of the user, and an avatar of the user.

5. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein determining the haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user comprises: determining a plurality of experience parameters based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment; anddetermining the haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the plurality of experience parameters.

6. The method (100) according to claim 1, further comprises: displaying the design data associated with the product and the determined haptic feedback to a plurality of users in the metaverse environment, in realtime, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a design aspect of the product; receiving at least one input for modifying at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product from the plurality of users based on the haptic feedback, in the metaverse environment; modifying at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product from the plurality of users based on the at least one input, in the metaverse environment; determining an impact score representative of an impact of the modification of the at least one parameter, on at least one another parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with the product; and optimizing the product design based on the impact score.

7. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment comprises performing a set of actions by the digital user on the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment.

8. The method (100) according to claim 1, further comprising: storing the impact score associated with the product in a database for automatic optimization of the product design.

9. A system (200) for optimizing product design in metaverse environment, the system (200) comprising: a processor (204); and a memory (206) coupled to the processor (204), wherein the memory (206) comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor (204), configures the processor (204) to: receive design data associated with a product to be designed,determine a digital user associated with the product and a virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment based on the design data associated with the product, allow an interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product in the metaverse environment, determine a haptic feedback for customizing the product for the user based on the interaction between the digital user and the virtual model of the product, modify the product design for customizing the product to the user based on the haptic feedback in the metaverse environment, and display the modified product design in the metaverse environment.

10. A computer program product, comprising computer program code which, when executed by a processor (204), cause the processor (204) to carry out the method (100) of one of the claims 1 to 8.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program product comprising computer program code which, when executed by a processor (204), cause the processor (204) to carry out the method (100) of one of the claims 1 to 8.

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