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Digital technology has evolved towards a new way of processing information: web searches, social platforms, internet forums, and video games have substituted reading books and writing essays. Trainers and educators currently face the challenge of providing natural training and learning environments for digital-natives. In addition to physical spaces, effective training and education require virtual spaces. Digital twins enable trainees to interact with real hardware in virtual training environments. Interactive real-world elements are essential in the training of robot operators. A natural environment for the trainee supports an interesting learning experience while including enough professional substances. We present examples of how virtual environments utilizing digital twins and extended reality can be applied to enable natural and effective robotic training scenarios. Scenarios are validated using cross-platform client devices for extended reality implementations and safety training applications. 

Digitalization shapes the ways of learning, working, and entertainment. The Internet, which enables us to connect and socialize is evolving to become the metaverse, a post-reality universe, enabling virtual life parallel to reality. In addition to gaming and entertainment, industry and academia have noticed the metaverse’s benefits and possibilities. For industry, the metaverse is the enabler of the future digital workplace, and for academia, digital learning spaces enable realistic virtual training environments. A connection bridging the virtual world with physical production systems is required to enable digital workplaces and digital learning spaces. In this publication, extended reality–digital twin to real use cases are presented. The presented use cases utilize extended reality as high-level user interfaces and digital twins to create a bridge between virtual environments and robotic systems in industry, academia, and underwater exploration.