This study presents a multi-user virtual reality (VR) tool designed to enhance hands-on learning in engineering education through real-time sensorized digital twins. The motivation stems from the limitations of traditional laboratory settings, such as time constraints and restricted access to physical equipment, which can hinder practical learning. The developed environment allows multiple students, wearing VR headsets, to interact simultaneously with a real-time synchronized virtual model of an engine, replicating its physical counterpart at the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. This novel integration of VR and digital twin technology offers students a unique opportunity to observe engine behavior in operation within a safe, controlled virtual space. By bridging theoretical knowledge with practical experience, this approach deepens understanding of complex mechanical concepts while fostering the development of key technical skills. Additionally, the use of real-time data visualization and digital twins provides a safer, more interactive, and efficient alternative to traditional laboratory practices, overcoming constraints like time limitations and equipment availability. This innovative method introduces students to Industry 4.0 principles, encouraging data-driven analysis and informed decision making.

Radioembolization (RE) is a treatment for patients with liver cancer, one of the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. RE consists of the transcatheter intraarterial infusion of radioactive microspheres, which are injected at the hepatic artery level and are transported in the bloodstream, aiming to target tumors and spare healthy liver parenchyma. In paving the way towards a computer platform that allows for a treatment planning based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, the current simulation (model preprocess, model solving, model postprocess) times (of the order of days) make the CFD-based assessment non-viable. One of the approaches to reduce the simulation time includes the reduction in size of the simulated truncated hepatic artery. In this study, we analyze for three patient-specific hepatic arteries the impact of reducing the geometry of the hepatic artery on the simulation time. Results show that geometries can be efficiently shortened without impacting greatly on the microsphere distribution.

Radioembolization (RE) is a medical treatment for primary and secondary liver cancer that involves the transcatheter intraarterial delivery of micron‐sized and radiation‐emitting microspheres, with the goal of improving microsphere deposition in the tumoral bed while sparing healthy tissue. An increasing number of in vitro and in silico studies on RE in the literature suggest that the particle injection velocity, spatial location of the catheter tip and catheter type are important parameters in particle distribution. The present in silico study assesses the performance of a novel catheter design that promotes particle dispersion near the injection point, with the goal of generating a particle distribution that mimics the flow split to facilitate tumour targeting. The design is based on two factors: the direction and the velocity at which particles are released from the catheter. A series of simulations was performed with the catheter inserted at an idealised hepatic artery tree with physiologically realistic boundary conditions. Two longitudinal microcatheter positions in the first generation of the tree were studied by analysing the performance of the catheter in terms of the outlet‐to‐outlet particle distribution and split flow matching. The results show that the catheter with the best performance is one with side holes on the catheter wall and a closed frontal tip. This catheter promotes a flow‐split‐matching particle distribution, which improves as the injection crossflow increases.

This paper presents an integrated methodology for remote monitoring, technical training and early warning systems in virtual reality environments oriented towards Industry 4.0. The proposal incorporates an engine modeled as a digital twin in Unity 3D, connected to physical sensors, and transmitted through an IoT platform. This architecture allows continuous monitoring and immersive visualization, in addition to generating alerts when operating conditions exceed critical limits, allowing users to simulate fault conditions in real time and perform interactive training without putting equipment or operators at risk. This work proposes a low-cost simulation platform, based on virtual reality and real-time digital twins, designed to support training and capacity building in industrial environments. This methodology seeks to propose general guidelines that allow the integration of these technologies in a general way to enrich both preventive and predictive maintenance mechanisms, as well as training processes.

Numerical fluid-particle dynamics simulations, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), are widely used to study blood flow and microsphere transport in medical treatments like radioembolization (RE), a therapy for unresectable liver tumors. RE involves injecting 90Y-labeled microspheres via a microcatheter into a hepatic artery to irradiate cancer cells. This study uses simulations on three patient-specific hepatic arteries to evaluate microsphere distribution in RE, focusing on two catheter designs: a standard end-hole catheter (EHC) and a novel multi side-hole catheter (SHC). Key parameters include cancer scenario and catheter tip position. Three performance indexes are introduced: the matching deviation index (MDI), targeting deviation index (TDI), and tumor-flow deviation index (TFDI). Results show the SHC outperforms the EHC with better MDI (3.67 vs. 8.36 percent points) and TDI (6.04 vs. 10.24 percent points) values, suggesting the SHC's cross-flow effect improves microsphere dispersion and alignment with flow split. The TDI values for SHC often match the TFDI, making the latter a potential performance predictor. The SHC demonstrates superior performance when tumors are located downstream from the catheter tip, while for localized tumors, superselective treatment is recommended, minimizing the catheter's impact on therapy.