Auxiliary Decision-Making Strategy for Physical Quadrotor by Actively Interacting with Virtual System

Abstract

With the help of 5G network technology, the physical system (PS) can communicate with its virtual system (VS) in real-time. This high-speed communication is particularly advantageous for robots such as Quadrotors which operate over large distances. Digital twin (DT) technology concerns the relationship between PS and VS. In the VS, simulation technology allows states of virtual objects to be fully captured, and further input schemes can be designed to simulate additional states. Therefore, simulation results are utilized to enhance the decision-making capabilities of physical objects. In this paper, the VS serves as an online decision-making center, providing auxiliary decision-making services to physical objects taking into account of communication delays during the interaction process between PS and VS. Two types of experiments are conducted to test the proposed auxiliary decision-making strategy with VS participation. Using the Quadrotor as a physical object, two type experiments are conducted to verify the proposed strategy, including virtual simulation experiment and physical machine testing. The experimental results demonstrate that the Quadrotor in PS can successfully accomplish its mission under the guidance of the VS. Moreover, successful outdoor testing of the physical machine with 5G network has been conducted.