2026-04-17T02:14:26Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:2117/4429052026-01-28T06:54:48Zcom_2072_1033col_2072_452950

Low-cost digital-twin VR teleoperation of a 3D-printed robotic arm for STEM education Gallego Vila, Jaime Vallverdú Bayés, Sisco Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Robòtica Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Material didàctic STEM education Virtual reality Digital twin Robotics Teleoperation Low-cost systems 3D printing Arduino Unity ESP32 The integration of Virtual Reality (VR) with robotic systems offers opportunities for enhancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a low-cost teleoperation system for a 3D-printed robotic arm, specifically tailored for educational applications. The system uniquely combines VR for intuitive control, a real-time digital twin for system visualization and understanding, and accessible open-source hardware. Utilizing a Meta Quest 2 headset, the Unity 3D engine, an Arduino MEGA 2560-based InMoov robotic arm, and a wireless communication architecture via an ESP32 module and UDP/IP, we demonstrate that this platform can be used for educational purposes. Experimental results validate the system’s effectiveness in providing an engaging, hands-on platform for students to explore concepts in robotics, programming, kinematics, and cyber-physical systems with an average operational latency of ~700 ms. The complete robotic arm materials—excluding the assembly—can be reproduced for under €400, greatly lowering the barrier for adoption in resource-constrained classrooms. This work underscores the potential of affordable VRrobotic digital twin systems to democratize access to advanced technological learning experiences in STEM. Peer Reviewed Postprint (author's final draft) 2025 Conference report https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11172534 Open Access Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)