Digital twins used to improve built environments for robots

According to the researchers, current methods of examining robot interaction with built environments – such as cities, buildings and walkways – involve real-life testing and physical experiments that are costly, time-consuming and labour intensive.

To address these limitations, lead researcher Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara from SUTD and his team utilised digital twins to establish the usefulness of built environment design guidelines for robots.

The researchers also modelled robot archetypes and environments as digital twins to examine specific robot behaviour within these environments.

“Ensuring that robots can navigate and operate effectively within built environments is crucial for their widespread adoption and acceptance,” Assoc Prof Mohan said in a statement.

“The digital twin approach offers several key advantages, including the ability to simulate real-world scenarios, enable virtual testing of robot interactions, and provide insights into compliance with design guidelines before physical implementation.”

The methodology, which the researchers divided into three phases, was also used for real-time monitoring, hazard identification and training a robot’s algorithm before deployment.