Methodology for Applying Extended Reality Simulations for ITER Design and Hands-On Interventions Verification

The use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies virtual and augmented reality (AR) is establishing itself more and more in design, construction and operation applications in industrial and research sectors that aim to employ digital technologies with a human-centered design approach. At ITER, a methodology that includes these technologies is applied in the design study of test blanket module (TBM) port cell (PC) components and replacement operation. The use of virtual prototyping at early design phases permits anticipating issues related to human operation and accessibility. Therefore, design optimization is performed before manufacturing the actual feasibility mock-ups. XR sessions are organized involving several design experts interacting with the various components 3-D models at the same time to facilitate the design decisions and to optimize the procedures. The main asset of this XR approach is to offer different means to support the decisions and onboard all participants. The simulations are prepared by building a virtual mock-up based on native CAD models available in databases for the different systems integrated into the Tokamak building. The complexity of the systems and the large amount of data to display require data preprocessing in order to ensure a reliable representation of the scenarios to be simulated. The reliability of the 3-D data and the consideration of the risks and the environmental conditions of the areas to be simulated are essential for making applicable and sound decisions. The aim of this article is to provide a method to realize reliable XR simulations following a documented workflow usable across the ITER project. The method is based on the realization of an XR-maintenance verification plan as an input for the XR simulation and of a maintainability verification document based on the results available from XR simulations. The experience and the results gained from the TBM PC design activities involving virtual reality (VR) simulations are also discussed.