A Virtual Reality based Internet-of-Things (IoT) Framework for Micro Devices Assembly

The emergence of Virtual Reality (VR) based technologies holds the potential to facilitate global collaboration in various fields of engineering. Micro Devices Assembly (MDA) is an emerging domain involving the assembly of micron sized objects and devices. In this paper, the focus of the discussion is the design of a VR based Internet-of-Things (IoT) based framework to support collaborative assembly of micro devices using both cyber and physical resources. At the center of this IoT framework is a Virtual Reality (VR) based simulation environment which serves as the link between cyber resources (which can support design analysis and planning) and physical manufacturing resources (which can accomplish the targeted assembly of micron sized products and parts). The feasibility analysis of proposed assembly plans is supported by stand-alone as well as networked based environments which enable proposing, comparing and modifying assembly sequences and plans. Several algorithms are available to generate near optimal assembly plans; these include Genetic Algorithm and Insertion Algorithm based approaches, which focus on determining near optimal assembly sequences based on target part destinations and part feeder positions. The benefits of such an integrated VR based cyber physical approach is to enable collaborative manufacturing frameworks to be more agile and respond to changing customer designs and requirements. Multiple partner organizations can potentially work together as Virtual Enterprises (VEs) sharing both their cyber and physical resources to accomplish the manufacturing of target designs [Cecil et al. 2017a].