T.Y.B.Tech Students’ Engineering Design and Innovation (EDAI 2) Project Paper, SEM 2 A.Y.

2023-24
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, INDIA.

Developing a Digital Twin for Smart Maintenance: Real-Time

LED Synchronization Using Unity and Arduino

Praveen Pol, Sahil Shevade, Vaishnavi Gaikwad

Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering

Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, 411037, Maharashtra, India

I. INTRODUCTION

The Digital Twin is an emerging technology that involves

Abstract — A Digital Twin is a dynamic, real-time digital creating a real-time, virtual representation of a physical
replica of a physical object, system, or process that mirrors its system or object, enabling continuous synchronization
behavior, performance, and condition through continuous data between the digital model and its physical counterpart. This
exchange and synchronization. This concept, rooted in the concept is transforming industries by enabling enhanced
advancement of Industry 4.0, enables the integration of the
monitoring, analysis, and control of physical assets through
physical and virtual worlds by using sensors, data analytics, and
simulation technologies. A digital twin not only visualizes the their digital replicas. When integrated with Predictive
current state of a physical entity but also predicts future states Maintenance, Digital Twins offer the ability to detect faults
through modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. and performance issues before they occur, thus minimizing
This makes it a powerful tool for monitoring, diagnostics, and unplanned downtime and improving operational efficiency.
predictive maintenance. In industrial settings, digital twins are In this project, we explore a foundational application of a
used to optimize performance, reduce downtime, and make data- digital twin by developing a simulation where an LED's
driven decisions by simulating operations and detecting on/off state is controlled within Unity, a popular real-time
anomalies before they occur. By providing a bridge between the development platform, and mirrored in a physical LED
real and digital environments, digital twins enable engineers and
operators to interact with physical systems in new and insightful
connected to an Arduino microcontroller. The Unity
ways, paving the way for smarter, more efficient, and resilient interface allows users to toggle the virtual LED, with
operations. corresponding real-time changes occurring in the physical
Keywords — Arduino nano, Unity setup via serial communication. Although the system is
simple, it demonstrates the core principles of real-time data
exchange, synchronization, and control, which are essential
to digital twin architecture. This project serves as a
conceptual stepping stone toward more complex
implementations in industrial environments, where digital
twins can be used for predictive diagnostics, remote control,

system optimization, and ultimately smarter, data-driven

decision-making in process automation.

II. METHODOLOGY
The implementation of this digital twin system involves a
combination of both hardware and software components to
achieve real-time synchronization between a virtual LED in
Unity and a physical LED connected to an Arduino. On the
hardware side, the setup includes an Arduino Uno, an LED
with a 220-ohm resistor, a USB cable, and basic wiring on a
breadboard. The LED is connected to one of the Arduino’s
GPIO pins (e.g., pin 13), and the Arduino is programmed
using the Arduino IDE to listen for serial commands such as
“ON” and “OFF” to control the LED state.

The software implementation primarily utilizes Unity 3D, a

powerful game engine known for real-time 3D visualization
and simulation. Within Unity, a 3D model of an LED is

created to visually represent its on/off state. A C# script is
written to handle serial communication with the Arduino.
 T.Y.B.Tech Students’ Engineering Design and Innovation (EDAI 2) Project Paper, SEM 2 A.Y. 2023-24
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, INDIA.

When a user toggles the virtual LED within Unity’s detection in more complex systems by tracking real-time
interface, the script sends a corresponding command through operational status.
the serial port to the Arduino, ensuring real-time response
from the physical LED.

I. CONCLUSION
This project presents a minimal yet effective application of
digital twin technology for predictive maintenance. By
demonstrating real-time mirroring of an LED's state between
a Unity simulation and an Arduino-controlled physical
setup, the study illustrates the foundational aspects of digital
twin systems. The implementation validates the potential for
upscaling such models to monitor critical machinery,
enhancing predictive maintenance and operational
efficiency. Future work may involve incorporating sensor
data, machine learning models, and cloud integration to
make the system more intelligent and scalable.
Fig:1: Hardware circuit for LED
X . ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to express my sincere gratitude to Praveen
Pol for their invaluable guidance, encouragement, and
support throughout the course of this project. Their expertise
and insights greatly contributed to the success of this work. I
am deeply appreciative of their time, patience, and
dedication in helping me better understand and apply key
concepts. This project would not have been possible without
their mentorship and constructive feedback.

REFERENCES
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Fig:1: Simulation on unity
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T.Y.B.Tech Students’ Engineering Design and Innovation (EDAI 2) Project Paper, SEM 2 A.Y. 2023-24
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, INDIA.
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