Assessment of Novel Haptic Interfaces for Digital Twin Teleoperation in High-Risk Steel Production

The implementation of digital twins (DTs) in industrial environments poses significant challenges, especially for tasks requiring direct physical interaction. This is critical in high-risk environments where system failures can lead to severe human and economic losses, and where even minor errors can have catastrophic consequences. Traditional robotic teleoperation systems often lack intuitive control and require extensive training, increasing the risk of malfunction and accident. This study addresses these challenges by introducing DT-based teleoperation for steel production, focusing on the hazardous lump iron removal process. We present two novel haptic interfaces: POstick-KF, offering enhanced kinesthetic feedback, and POstick-VF, providing a larger workspace with visuo-tactile feedback. These interfaces are designed to mimic real tools, ensuring intuitive control and quick operator training. A user study shows that POstick-VF significantly improves tracking accuracy for novices, while POstick-KF excels in interaction performance regardless of experience. In particular, POstick-VF improves interaction skills over time, and achieves comparable performance to POstick-KF, but with a simpler system. These interfaces have been rigorously tested to ensure robustness and are currently undergoing field testing for real-world applications. Our findings highlight the potential of these haptic devices to achieve the safety and efficiency of DT-based teleoperation within high-risk industrial environments, marking a significant advance in the field.