Digital Twin Technology for Naval Maintenance Training and Operations

In order to further enhance each Sailor’s exposure to the systems they must maintain, accelerate their learning, minimize skill decay, improve transfer of skills from the schoolhouse to the operational platform, and support on-the-job training once deployed, Soar Technology (SoarTech) proposes the use of digital twin technology for training. The digital twin will form the basis of an adaptive instructional tool that will augment the U.S. Navy’s current training from the schoolhouse to the initial deployment and beyond. A digital twin lets maintenance personnel visualize and interact with virtual parts and interactions that reflect specific, idiosyncratic operational systems. SoarTech will combine digital twins with science of learning principles to sequence and deliver effective training about system idiosyncrasies and about general, underlying similarities across systems. A new authoring tool will build on existing adaptive training software to create low-cost, high-fidelity models of how operational systems look and work. The twin training can appear on remote, augmented reality, or handheld devices. As a result, Romulus will enable anytime, anywhere virtual training in schoolhouses prior to deployment, at the pier, and afloat in structured on-the-job training.