TwinSea
Integrated digital twin, IoT, and HIL systems for real control hardware
Digital Twin, IoT, and HIL Testing Before the Field
TwinSea connects digital twins and Industrial IoT data acquisition with real PLC code, controllers, embedded software, sensor networks, I/O hardware, and test benches so teams can test behaviour and capture reliable operational data before equipment is commissioned offshore or on site.
Where TwinSea Helps
Debugging PLC code on real machinery is slow, expensive, and dangerous. Virtual commissioning with TwinSea can significantly reduce commissioning time, because code arrives on site already tested.
Edge cases, failure modes, and emergency scenarios are difficult or unsafe to exercise on real hardware. TwinSea lets you stage any of these repeatably and deterministically.
Engineering, electrical, and software teams typically serialise around the physical machine. With TwinSea, software development starts against the digital twin from day one, in parallel with hardware build.
The Twin Is the Shared Foundation
TwinSea is not a standalone tool bolted onto the other MimeSeas products. The twin, its live state, and the equipment library that describes winches, motors, gearboxes, drives, and cable and line behaviour sit at the centre of the platform, and every other family works through it.
- MetroSea writes measured real-world state onto the twin, so survey and positioning data is available to control logic and analytics as it is captured.
- SimSea carries the twin forward through physics, for training, procedure rehearsal, and engineering study.
- AutoSea reads that state and decides how to actuate the equipment, with the deterministic control loop always staying local to the machinery.
- NoeSea learns from the twin's accumulated history, without a separate data pipeline to build and reconcile.
Because simulation and virtual commissioning draw on the same equipment library, the simulator that trains your operators and the twin that validates your control code are the same machine model. That is a property of how the platform is built, not an integration effort you pay for per project.
Virtual Commissioning Workflow
Step 1: Visualise
Import the CAD model and PLC logic into TwinSea. The visualisation layer provides real-time 3D feedback for engineers, operators, and stakeholders to see the same machine in the same state.
Step 2: Define
Set test objectives: what must the control code prove before it ships? Configure simulation parameters, environmental conditions, and events to inject. Define success/failure criteria upfront.
Step 3: Execute
Run scenarios with the real PLC in the loop. Multiple engineers can run the same scenario independently on the same digital twin to compare control strategies, tuning approaches, or algorithm variants.
Step 4: Analyse
Review recorded data with built-in analysis tools. Measure performance, reliability, and safety margins against success/failure criteria. Iterate on PLC code and retest until control software meets targets.
Supported Domains
Maritime and Offshore
DP controllers, crane control on floating and jack-up platforms, cable lay tensioner control, dredging automation (TSHD and CSD), jacking system controllers, mooring and anchor handling, and ROV tooling.
Factory Automation
Conveyor systems, pick-and-place cells, assembly lines, packaging machines, robotic work cells, and material handling. Servo drives, VFDs, pneumatic actuators, and safety devices.
Construction Equipment
Excavators, cranes, piling machines, concrete handling equipment, and telescopic handlers. Hydraulic circuits with realistic pressure, flow, and temperature behaviour.
Autonomous Vessels
Navigation, perception, collision avoidance, thruster allocation, power management, and fault-tolerant control for autonomous and semi-autonomous maritime systems.
Robotics
Industrial arms, mobile robots, and hybrid systems. Kinematic and dynamic modelling, joint drives, and end-effector interactions for all control stack layers.
PLC and Controller Integration
TwinSea connects with real control hardware, IoT gateways, and field sensors via a wide range of industrial communication protocols. Validated against Siemens (S7-300/400/1200/1500, TIA Portal), Beckhoff (TwinCAT 2 and 3), Bachmann (M1, M1COM), Rockwell (ControlLogix, CompactLogix, Studio 5000), and B&R Automation.
Supported protocols: OPC-UA, EtherCAT, PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU, CAN, CANopen, J1939, M1COM, and common IoT data interfaces.
Validated PLC Platforms
- Siemens: S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, S7-1500, TIA Portal
- Beckhoff: TwinCAT 2 and TwinCAT 3
- Bachmann: M1 controller family, M1COM protocol
- Rockwell Automation: ControlLogix, CompactLogix, Studio 5000
- B&R Automation
- Generic IEC 61131-3 controllers via OPC-UA or Modbus
Supported Protocols
Service Models
Complete Virtual Commissioning
MimeSeas builds the digital twin and IoT data layer, specifies and assembles the HIL hardware, integrates it with your PLC code or controllers, runs the test campaign, and delivers validated control software with full test evidence.
Platform Licensing
TwinSea is licensed to your engineering team with onboarding, training, ongoing support, and optional HIL hardware packages. For clients who want virtual commissioning as an in-house capability.
HIL-as-a-Service
Hosted access to TwinSea environments from MimeSeas facilities, with MimeSeas engineering support. Suitable for periodic validation campaigns without capital investment.