In this webinar, we will walk you through ICS’ well-defined process for quickly creating medical device digital twins, including exploring the benefits of a layered architecture approach and examining appropriate use cases for our rapid development technique.

1. Creating Device-Accurate
Digital Twins
Using ICS’
Rapid Development
Techniques
Jeff LeBlanc
Director of Solutions Engineering
jleblanc@ics.com

2. Established in 1987, Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc. (ICS)
delivers innovative software solutions with a full suite of
services to accelerate development of successful next-gen
products.
ICS is headquartered outside Boston in Waltham, MA with
offices in California, Canada and Europe.
● UX and UI design services
● Full stack software development
● Cloud-native application development
● Full end-to-end product realization
● Focus on medical device development
In 2018, the success of our in-house UX and Visual design
studio has led us to convert it into a full-service digital agency
called Boston UX.
About ICS

3. A Few Of Our Customers

4. What is AR / VR / MR / XR ?
AR - Augmented Reality, a mix
of the real and the virtual
world
VR - Virtual Reality, a purely
digital world
MR - Mixed Reality, meaning
the whole spectrum; also XR -
Extended Reality,

5. What is a Digital Twin?
“A digital twin is a digital representation of a real-world entity or system. The
implementation of a digital twin is an encapsulated software object or model that
mirrors a unique physical object, process, organization, person or other
abstraction.” - Gartner
Digital twins are used in many domains, including urban planning, aerospace,
manufacturing and healthcare
Many uses, such as testing, monitoring, simulation, and training

6. Training is critical for new and returning workers
On-the-job training not always viable in critical areas
● Aerospace
● Defense
● Healthcare
The Need for Training

7. Traditional training methods include:
● Reading
● Lectures
● Workshops
VR/AR can provide an alternative to these methods
These methods have severe
limitations:
● Expensive, both time and money
● Geographically constrained
● May require actual hardware
● Often have low retention rates
Traditional Training Methods

8. According to PWC (2022), students who used VR for training were:
4X faster
to train than in a classroom
3.75X more
emotionally connected to
content than classroom learners
275% more confident
in applying skills after training
4X more focused
on learning than peers using
e-learning methods
Training in VR

9. Specific Case: Medical Devices
Training for medical devices is
particularly challenging
● Very expensive, so access is limited
● Operators have a critical need to
understand them before using them
in the field
Good fit for creating trainer systems

10. 1
Create a device-accurate
digital twin
2
Connect to simulators
(also used during
development)
3
Add scaffolding within
virtual environment for
lessons and analytics
4
At this point, you have a
solid foundation for a
trainer system
Methodology for Creating Training Systems

11. Digital Twins in Extended Reality (XR)

12. Case 1: Creating an XR training system during development of the device
Case 2: Recreating an existing device in XR
Use Cases for XR-based Trainers

13. (Re)Creating Project RED in VR
Project RED - Respiratory Emergency Device
ICS worked on this open source
low-cost ventilator during the
pandemic
https://redventilator.org/

14. Figma UX & UI
Project RED
screens
Software Development
Project RED
screens in code
App in Qt / QML
Running software
on device
ICS Best Practice for Creating Embedded Devices
ICS uses our Rapid Development Solution
as part of a 3-step pipeline for creating
embedded devices. This allows us to
create Qt-based UIs in about half the time
of hand coding.
Rapid asset generation Rapid development Proven software
architecture

15. Figma UX & UI
Project RED
screens
Software Development
Project RED
screens in code
ICS Best Practice for Creating Digital Twins
Unity
Running software
in VR
The same Qt code base can run in VR
simply by re-compiling. Often, no code
changes are needed!

16. ICS uses a standard layered architecture for many of our projects
Real Hardware
Simulator
Communication
Application Logic
Presentation
Qt / QML
Hardware Simulator
Software Architecture
Signals Function calls

17. Unity
WebGL
Qt gets us to WebGL
with little effort.
This gets us to a
digital twin of the
device in VR
Software Architecture
Simulator
Communication
Application Logic
Presentation
Qt / QML
Hardware Simulator

18. Project RED - Physical and Virtual
Real VR

19. (Re)Creating an Existing Device in VR
Figma UX & UI
Existing Device
screens
Software Development
Existing Device
screens in code
Recreating an existing device in VR is essentially the same process.
● UX designer recreates existing screens in Figma
● Software engineer connects the UI to simulators and implements
navigation to mimic the device workflow
● Hardware can be done either in Figma or VR environments
Rapid asset generation Rapid development
Unity
Running software
in VR
Rapid deployment

20. Recreating an Existing Device in XR
This is easier than making the
original device as all hardware
interactions are simulated.
Application logic, and even data
output, can all be simulated as
needed.
UX team recreates the screens
based on a reference device and
manuals.
Unity
WebGL
Simulator
Communication
Application Logic
Presentation
Qt / QML
Hardware Simulator
Signals Function calls

21. Now, we add scaffolding around the twin for lesson support
From Twin to Trainer
Directions
Run a lesson in the
VR environment
Analytics
How did the lesson go?
Reporting
Progress over time

22. Now, we add scaffolding around the twin for lesson support
Building a Trainer - The Device in XR
Directions
Run a lesson in the
VR environment
Analytics
How did the lesson go?
Reporting
Progress over time

23. VR Trainer Software Architecture
The XR environment needs to communicate with the twin
● Respond to a hardware control
○ Physical button push or knob turn
● Display a hardware response
○ Turn on a light
● Respond to simulated UI controls
○ Virtual menu and prompts
● Convey information in XR

24. Simulator
Communication
Application Logic
Presentation
Qt / QML
Hardware Simulator API (Unity Trainer Software)
API (Unity Trainer Software)
Communicate with
simulators through API
VR Trainer Software Architecture
The XR environment needs to communicate with the twin
Signals

25. VR Trainer Software
Virtual menu for
patient vitals

26. With a working digital twin and training environment,
creating an Augmented Reality (AR) version in Unity
becomes easy (mostly)
Next Steps: Continue Training by Extending to AR

27. Next Steps: Continue Training by Extending to AR

28. Thanks For Listening!
Questions?
Jeff LeBlanc, Director of Solutions Engineering
jleblanc@ics.com
http://www.ics.com