Philipp Gehricke
Virtual Environment for mobile Robotic Applications

Abstract
Mobile robotics is a growing field used in diverse domains, including industry, education and research. This thesis introduces the Virtual Environment for mobile Robotic Applications (VERA), a modular and scalable framework that integrates concepts of digital twins, augmented reality (AR) and vehicle-in-the-loop testing to bridge the gap between simulation and real-world testing. VERA enables synchronized virtual and projected environments, allowing robots to interact dynamically within both environment representations.
The system’s architecture includes three key components: The Virtual Environment Positioning System (VEPS) for real-time localization of the robot, an environment manager for dynamic object handling and path tracking as well as a visualization component to project the virtual environment with additional AR-like features into the real world. VERA’s capabilities are demonstrated by the integration of the EMAROs robot platform to illustrate features such as path-following navigation, object manipulation and synchronized robot models. The evaluation results show VERA’s scalability, real-time performance and its ability to realize arbitrary environments for applications like autonomous navigation tasks.
VERA meets its defined requirements and also provides a foundation for future development and research, ensuring adaptability and enhancements for evolving robotic applications. Through the combination and synchronization of simulated and projected environments, VERA realizes a flexible platform for developing and testing mobile robotic applications.