Digital Triplet for Developing Future Reliable 6G Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems: Case Studies from Teleoperation to Platooning

IEEE Access, Volume 14, 2026/6/10
Hendrik Schippers, Chair of Communication Networks (ComNets), TU Dortmund University
Niklas A Wagner, Chair of Communication Networks (ComNets), TU Dortmund University
Lennart Reiher, Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika)
Harun Teper, Design Automation of Embedded Systems (DAES), TU Dortmund University
Lukas Ostendorf, Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika)
Jian-Jia Chen, Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, TU Dortmund University
Lutz Eckstein, Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika)
Christian Wietfeld, Chair of Communication Networks (ComNets), TU Dortmund University

Future Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITSs) will impose stringent requirements on 6G mobile networks in terms of latency, data rate, and reliability. These requirements must be met in rapidly changing wireless channel conditions. Hence, their fulfillment requires rigorous and reproducible testing environments that enable a seamless transition from simulation to real-world deployment. However, existing testbeds and simulation environments either lack physical realism or fail to scale cost-effectively, hindering comprehensive C-ITS evaluation. To overcome these limitations, we implement the concept of a Digital Triplet, comprising three complementary layers: a full-scale real-world test field, a co-simulation environment for integrating additional simulated entities, and a scaled-down replica of the test field. This architecture enables reliable, reproducible, and scalable testing of future 6G-enabled C-ITS applications across different levels of abstraction. We demonstrate the applicability of the Digital Triplet through multiple case studies. For remote driving, we deploy and optimize a low-latency video streaming system and simulate a mmWave communication channel incorporating Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs). An up to 74% reduced median Glass-to-Glass (G2G) latency is achieved in a mobile network compared to related work using a local network. Moreover, emulating real-world vehicle localization in the scaled test field enables the implementation of cross-domain Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC)-based vehicular platooning. Finally, we evaluate the NMPC platooning controller in both decentralized (on-vehicle) and centralized (edge cloud) configurations. The results highlight the strong potential of the Digital Triplet to accelerate the development and validation of C-ITS applications within future 6G networks. Video abstract: tiny.cc/digitaltriplet