Immersive Innovation: Exploring Interactive Virtual Reality through Distributed Simulations

Abstract

This chapter explores the significant role of modeling and simulation techniques in various sectors, focusing particularly on distributed simulation (DS). The increasing importance of DS has been emphasized in response to evolving industrial, healthcare, and services settings. By leveraging DS, the integration of heterogeneous simulations enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of individual and classical simulations. In particular, this chapter introduces a DS that seamlessly combines two distinct simulation methods within a virtual reality (VR) environment. This integration enables users to fully immerse themselves in a 3D digital twin environment. Two case studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed DS system. The first case study focused on the implementation of DS in a hemodialysis unit, while the second case study examined its application in an intensive care unit. AnyLogic has been utilized for developing both discrete event and agent-based simulations, while the Unity platform has been employed for VR environment creation. In order to ensure smooth integration and synchronization, as well as address the demanding computational requirements, a network-based DS system has been implemented based on the high-level architecture—an IEEE standard for DS.