Digital Twin Engineering Technician: Building a Virtual Training Ground for Industrial Inspection Robots

XINHUA NEWS AGENCY, Chongqing, Oct. 31 (Reporter Yang Shiyan) — Recreating a real factory in virtual space so that robots can "rehearse" inspection tasks in advance: this is the daily work of Jiang Lei, a digital twin engineering technician. In September this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other departments released 11 new occupations, including digital twin engineering technician. This occupation refers to engineering technicians engaged in the research and development, planning and design, engineering implementation, debugging and optimization, and operation and maintenance of digital twin technology. At Qiteng Robotics Co., Ltd., located in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, Jiang Lei and his team are building a digital twin platform for industrial inspection robots. "In simple terms, it means using 3D reconstruction technology to create a 'twin' of a real factory in digital space," Jiang Lei said. The company mainly develops and produces special robots for industries such as petroleum, chemicals and electric power, which can replace or assist manual checks of equipment operating status and troubleshooting of safety hazards in dangerous environments such as flammable and explosive, toxic and harmful ones. To enable robots to smoothly complete inspection tasks in different factories, they first need to become familiar with the on-site environment. Under the traditional workflow, technicians must transport the robots to the project site, carry out environment mapping, path planning and inspection point setup, and then keep debugging. Carrying out this work in an unfamiliar environment is both time-consuming and may involve unexpected situations. Jiang Lei planning the robot's inspection route. Photo by Xinhua reporter Yang Shiyan. Digital twin technology allows part of the preparatory work to be completed in virtual space in advance. The platform combines actual operating data to simulate the states and operating processes of real-world scenarios, enabling technicians to conduct simulation tests and optimize plans. On the platform built by Jiang Lei and his team, how inspection routes should be planned, where task points should be set, and whether the camera's shooting angle and field of view meet inspection requirements can all be repeatedly verified before the robot arrives at the factory; then the task data verified through simulation is sent to the real robot, reducing the process of repeated on-site trial and error. "In the team's related projects, the on-site debugging time that might take two to three weeks under the traditional model can be shortened to two to three days after introducing digital twin simulation, reducing the manpower and time costs of on-site implementation," Jiang Lei said. "I think this occupation requires interdisciplinary talent," Jiang Lei said. In addition to 3D modeling, programming and simulation capabilities, practitioners also need to understand relevant industry knowledge. Taking industrial inspection as an example, understanding on-site equipment, inspection tasks and operational requirements can make tests in the virtual environment better serve practical applications. Industrial inspection is only one microcosm of digital twin applications. The "Digital Twin City Research Report (2026)," jointly compiled by units including the Institute of Industry and Planning of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, shows that digital twins have been applied in fields such as industrial manufacturing, urban parks and campuses, water affairs and water conservancy, and transportation, providing support for factory operation and maintenance, production optimization, urban governance and reservoir scheduling. As technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things accelerate integration, digital twins are being further used to predict operating states, simulate different plans and assist practical decision-making. Continuously expanding application scenarios are also giving digital twin engineering technicians more room to demonstrate their skills.