Virtual-Physical Twin Control for Real-Time Robotic Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic systems lack the ability to seamlessly interact with both physical and virtual environments in real time, limiting their flexibility and human-interactive capabilities, especially in unpredictable environments, and virtual reality systems fail to provide immersive experiences due to the inability of users to physically interact with virtual objects.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system that synchronizes the position and movement of physical robots with virtual entities in real time, allowing users to interact physically with virtual objects and vice versa, using a dual-controller architecture that includes a virtual-world controller and a physical-world controller to coordinate the actions between the physical and virtual environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If robots follow strict pre-determined routines with extensive programming, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but adaptability to unpredictable environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy (digital twin) of the physical robot and its environment. This virtual replica allows extensive programming and testing to be performed in the virtual world without affecting the physical robot. The virtual robot can be programmed with strict routines while the physical robot maintains flexibility, resolving the contradiction between precision programming and environmental adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary programming, simulation, and testing in the virtual environment before deploying to the physical robot. All complex routines and edge cases can be pre-tested in the virtual world, allowing the physical robot to execute with high precision while the system as a whole gains adaptability through virtual-reality-based reprogramming.
2Ease of operation
If virtual reality systems provide visually convincing environments, then user immersion is improved, but physical interaction capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the virtual and physical worlds by creating a unified system where a physical robot can interact with virtual objects displayed in VR. The robot's physical actions are synchronized with the virtual environment, allowing users to physically interact with virtual objects through the robot while maintaining visual immersion. This combines the benefits of both visually convincing VR and physical interaction capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system has a virtual-world (VW) controller and a physical-world (PW) controller. The pairing of a PW element with a VW element establishes them as corresponding physical and virtual twins. The VW controller and/or the PW controller receives measurements from one or more sensors characterizing aspects of the physical world, the VW controller generates the virtual twin, and the VW controller and/or the PW controller generates commands for one or more actuators affecting aspects of the physical world. To coordinate the corresponding virtual and physical twins, (i) the VW controller controls the virtual twin based on the physical twin or (ii) the PW controller controls the physical twin based on the virtual twin. Depending on the operating mode, one of the VW and PW controllers is a master controller, and the other is a slave controller, where the virtual and physical twins are both controlled based on one of VW or PW forces.