During the years common understanding of the possibilities and perspectives of Virtual Reality (VR) usage has been changed. It is thought that VR is mainly used in entertainment purposes, but it is being used already for many years in different industries, and now with easier access to the hardware it became a helpful and accessible tool that could be used and developed in any field of human activities. In manufacturing, immersive technologies are mainly used nowadays for the visualisation of processes and products combining those visuals into the factory Digital Twin (DT) which is possible to view from the inside look. This feature is already being used in several manufacturing simulation tools, which enable to view onto industrial line / robotic cells via Virtual Reality glasses. However, the potential of using simulations with VR in manufacturing is not fully uncovered. The main aim of this, industrial robotics targeted research is to enable besides simulation also universal control algorithms through Virtual Reality experience, produced by game engine Unity3D, which can be easily modified for a wide range of industrial equipment. The primary outcome of this work is the development of the synchro-nisation model of real and virtual industrial robots and experimental testing the developed model in Virtual Reality and shop floor labs

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Modern Industrial Robot (IR) programming process is mainly performed by using three different methods — manual, offline, and online programming. Each of these methods has various advantages and disadvantages. Prominent automotive industries often use a combination of them, as there is no way to avoid one or another form of programming on one factory. However, the use of a combination of different programming methods is time-consuming and demands the operator’s presence on site for reconfiguration of the IR. The primary goal of this study is to introduce and test the concept of a hybrid IR programming method, which combines both: offline and online robotic cell design, programming, and re-configuration methods. Testing of this method is based on fully synchronized robotic cell’s Digital Twin (DT), developed in Industrial Virtual and Augmented Laboratory of Tallinn University of Technology. Usage of the virtual replica allows to plan and program robotic cell on the means of telepresence and interfere with the predefined path of the robot by online programming method. Moreover, this approach reduces the time for robotic cell design and re-programming, enables to minimize downtime of the robotic cell on the factory shop floor. Included Virtual Reality (VR) environment allows simulating a full-scale operator presence on site. Thus, the proposed approach supports an immersive and safe environment for the IR and similar equipment programming purposes.

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Standardized and universal solutions for industrial robot integration are increasingly urgent requirements for companies looking for machine interconnectivity, and flexibility in creating tailor made manufacturing systems. These solutions must be supported by modular and open-source components able to easily integrate new control methods and advanced Extended Reality (XR) interfaces. Robot Operating System (ROS) has proven to be a reliable standard for industrial robot integration. ROS compatibility software is provided by many producers and allows for the implementation of modular control units by unifying development practices along the same libraries and methods. Digital Twins (DT) of industrial equipment and processes offer a solid base to develop innovative digital tools relying on synchronization between physical and digital entities and to easily setup intuitive XR interfaces for teleoperation and programming. This work presents the integration of the OMRON TM5-9000 collaborative industrial robot into the IVAR laboratory DT system at Tallinn University of Technology. By using Unity3D game engine and developing a ROS package for the specific machine, the digital model of the collaborative robot is integrated into the existing twin. Synchronization with the real counterpart is provided by MQTT protocol while a robot user interface is developed in Unity and provides robot joints visualization and remote control.