Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends

This paper reviews the area of combined discrete event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry. While establishing a state of the art for progress in this area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models, highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time integration, communication protocols, system design considerations, model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While summarizing future research directions for this technology combination, the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets

Advances in Production Management Systems: Issues, Trends, and Vision Towards 2030

Since its inception in 1978, the IFIP Working Group (WG) 5.7 on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS) has played an active role in the fields of production and production management. The Working Group has focused on the conception, development, strategies, frameworks, architectures, processes, methods, and tools needed for the advancement of both fields. The associated standards created by the IFIP WG5.7 have always been impacted by the latest developments of scientific rigour, academic research, and industrial practices. The most recent of those developments involves the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is having remarkable (r)evolutionary and disruptive changes in both the fields and the standards. These changes are triggered by the fusion of advanced operational and informational technologies, innovative operating and business models, as well as social and environmental pressures for more sustainable production systems. This chapter reviews past, current, and future issues and trends to establish a coherent vision and research agenda for the IFIP WG5.7 and its international community. The chapter covers a wide range of production aspects and resources required to design, engineer, and manage the next generation of sustainable and smart production systems.acceptedVersio

Assessment Of Different Platforms For Online Virtual Lab Demonstrations

As we move to a more sustainable world, expansion of education is key to the eradication of poverty (SDG1) and societal inequalities (SDG10). Global expansion of tertiary education offers opportunities to deliver Sustainable Development Goals by providing wide access to education in flexible learning environments. However, the quality of education (SDG4) must be maintained and enhanced as it is key to a partnership for the goals (SDG17). While increased learning online can facilitate achievement of these SDGs, there is also a move, within the education sector, to a constructivist approach and a more active learning environment. Interactive virtual learning environments (e.g. Virtual Reality) can offer considerable potential in the integration of active learning in an online environment With this background in mind, the objective of this study was to evaluate the hardware and software resources currently available for effective delivery of remote virtual laboratory learning against nine technical, social and design criteria. At the same time, it is also important to consider sustainability in this evaluation including carbon (SDG13) and ecological footprints (SDG14/15). Hardware options examined were the Computer, Google Cardboard, Meta Quest 2 and Microsoft HoloLens 2, while the software platforms examined were H5P Virtual Tours, 3D Vista Pro, Dynamics 365 Guides and a professionally created VR platform. The main findings were that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ system and each system has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the resources available at the institution and the type and level of knowledge and/or skill being delivered

Virtual training for assembly tasks: a framework for the analysis of the cognitive impact on operators

The importance of training for operators in industrial contexts is widely highlighted in literature. Virtual Reality (VR) technology is considered an efficient solution for training, since it provides immersive, realistic, and interactive simulations environments where the operator can learn-by-doing, far from the risks of the real field. Its efficacy has been demonstrated by several studies, but a proper assessment of the operator’s cognitive response in terms of stress and cognitive load, during the use of such technology, is still lacking. This paper proposes a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of user’s cognitive states, suitable for each kind of training in the industrial sector and beyond. Preliminary feasibility analysis refers to virtual training for assembly of agricultural vehicles. The proposed protocol analysis allowed understanding the operators’ loads to optimize the VR training application, considering the mental demand during the training, and thus avoiding stress, mental overload, improving the user performance