Digital Twin-Driven Human Robot Collaboration Using a Digital Human

Abstract

Advances are being made in applying digital twin (DT) and human–robot collaboration (HRC) to industrial fields for safe, effective, and flexible manufacturing. Using a DT for human modeling and simulation enables ergonomic assessment during working. In this study, a DT-driven HRC system was developed that measures the motions of a worker and simulates the working progress and physical load based on digital human (DH) technology. The proposed system contains virtual robot, DH, and production management modules that are integrated seamlessly via wireless communication. The virtual robot module contains the robot operating system and enables real-time control of the robot based on simulations in a virtual environment. The DH module measures and simulates the worker’s motion, behavior, and physical load. The production management module performs dynamic scheduling based on the predicted working progress under ergonomic constraints. The proposed system was applied to a parts-picking scenario, and its effectiveness was evaluated in terms of work monitoring, progress prediction, dynamic scheduling, and ergonomic assessment. This study demonstrates a proof-of-concept for introducing DH technology into DT-driven HRC for human-centered production systems.

Keywords

• digital twin
• human–robot collaboration
• digital human
• scheduling
• ergonomics