Integrating the user experience throughout the product lifecycle with real-time simulation-based digital twins

Abstract

The product development of complex machinery is moving away from a focus on technical features to an emphasis on user experience throughout the product lifecycle. The advent of new real-time simulation techniques is enabling end user participation in product development and active collaboration throughout the entire product lifecycle. Using an example of a real-time simulation of a forklift, this paper describes an approach to integrate the needs and requirements of the end users throughout the product lifecycle. In practice, this cooperation is facilitated by accumulating user experience in a virtual reality environment using a real-time simulation of the multibody system-based forklift. The paper discusses tools and procedures that should be included in user-experience-driven product development using digital twinning to integrate user experience into the product lifecycle. It also describes how the new approach can influence conventional business processes and customer purchase decisions.