This thesis documents the design and application of Mixed Reality (MR) within a nuclear
manufacturing cell through the creation of a Digitally Assisted Assembly Cell (DAAC). The
DAAC is a proof of concept system, combining full body tracking within a room sized
environment and bi-directional feedback mechanism to allow communication between users within
the Virtual Environment (VE) and a manufacturing cell. This allows for training, remote assistance,
delivery of work instructions, and data capture within a manufacturing cell.
The research underpinning the DAAC encompasses four main areas; the nuclear industry, Virtual
Reality (VR) and MR technology, MR within manufacturing, and finally the 4 th Industrial
Revolution (IR4.0). Using an array of Kinect sensors, the DAAC was designed to capture user
movements within a real manufacturing cell, which can be transferred in real time to a VE, creating
a digital twin of the real cell. Users can interact with each other via digital assets and laser pointers
projected into the cell, accompanied by a built-in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. This
allows for the capture of implicit knowledge from operators within the real manufacturing cell, as
well as transfer of that knowledge to future operators. Additionally, users can connect to the VE
from anywhere in the world. In this way, experts are able to communicate with the users in the real
manufacturing cell and assist with their training. The human tracking data fills an identified gap in
the IR4.0 network of Cyber Physical System (CPS), and could allow for future optimisations
within manufacturing systems, Material Resource Planning (MRP) and Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP).
This project is a demonstration of how MR could prove valuable within nuclear manufacture. The
DAAC is designed to be low cost. It is hoped this will allow for its use by groups who have
traditionally been priced out of MR technology. This could help Small to Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) close the double digital divide between themselves and larger global corporations. For
larger corporations it offers the benefit of being low cost, and, is consequently, easier to roll out
across the value chain. Skills developed in one area can also be transferred to others across the
internet, as users from one manufacturing cell can watch and communicate with those in another.
However, as a proof of concept, the DAAC is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) five or six and,
prior to its wider application, further testing is required to asses and improve the technology.
The work was patented in both the UK (S. R EDDISH et al., 2017a), the US (S. R EDDISH et al.,
2017b) and China (S. R EDDISH et al., 2017c). The patents are owned by Rolls-Royce and cover
the methods of bi-directional feedback from which users can interact from the digital to the real
and vice versa.
Stephen Reddish
Mixed Mode Realities in Nuclear Manufacturing
Key words: Mixed Mode Reality, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Nuclear, Manufacture,
Digital Twin, Cyber Physical System
