Integrating Virtual Reality and Digital Twin in Circular Economy Practices: A Laboratory Application Case

The increasing awareness of customers toward climate change effects, the high demand instability affecting several industrial sectors, and the fast automation and digitalization of production systems are forcing companies to re-think their business strategies and models in view of both the Circular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2020-03, Vol.12 (6), p.2286
Main Authors: Rocca, Roberto, Rosa, Paolo, Sassanelli, Claudio, Fumagalli, Luca, Terzi, Sergio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Automation
Circular economy
Climate change
Climate effects
Computer applications
Computer simulation
Consumption
Digital twins
Digitization
Efficiency
Electronic equipment
Environmental policy
Experiments
Industrial applications
Industrial markets
Information processing
Laboratories
Manufacturing
Metabolism
Object linking & embedding
Product life cycle
Raw materials
Research methodology
Sustainability
Virtual reality
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Summary:The increasing awareness of customers toward climate change effects, the high demand instability affecting several industrial sectors, and the fast automation and digitalization of production systems are forcing companies to re-think their business strategies and models in view of both the Circular Economy (CE) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigms. Some studies have already assessed the relations between CE and I4.0, their benefits, and barriers. However, a practical demonstration of their potential impact in real contexts is still lacking. The aim of this paper is to present a laboratory application case showing how I4.0-based technologies can support CE practices by virtually testing a waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) disassembly plant configuration through a set of dedicated simulation tools. Our results highlight that service-oriented, event-driven processing and information models can support the integration of smart and digital solutions in current CE practices at the factory level.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su12062286