Novel Methods for Teaching Simulation: Strengthening Digital Twin Development

This article proposes new methods for teaching Discrete Event Simulation (DES) in manufacturing systems. Over the last four decades, numerous books have offered methods for teaching DES as what-if analysis tools for addressing stochastic problems. However, the emergence of the Digital Twin (DT) concept has posed challenges for such traditionally designed DES models. These models often struggle to evolve effectively into Real-Time Simulators (RTS). RTS are connected DES models embedded as kernels in the DT framework and synchronized based on real-time sensor data streams. Thus, the objective of this work is to introduce teaching methods that provide deeper insights into designing the needed high-fidelity DES models capable of evolving into RTS. It also illustrates how the Immersive Learning approach is employed to immerse students in a manufacturing environment through Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, allowing them to grasp key concepts such as granularity levels and synchronization challenges in deploying a DT.