Mika Lohtander

Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Mika Lohtander’s research lies at the intersection of virtual reality (VR) and advanced manufacturing, focusing on how immersive technologies can enhance flexibility, quality control, and human-machine collaboration in industrial settings. His most-cited work, “Virtual Reality Enabled Manufacturing of Challenging Workpieces” (8 citations), explores how VR systems can adaptively handle complex part geometries and optimize manufacturing parameters, reducing the need for fully autonomous—and often inflexible—systems. In a complementary study, “Quality Assurance and Process Control in Virtual Reality” (7 citations), Lohtander introduces a “man-in-the-loop” framework that integrates real-time quality inspection with automatic process control, allowing human operators to manage variability in flexible production lines more effectively. Together, these contributions demonstrate a pragmatic vision: rather than replacing human expertise, VR can augment it, enabling smarter, more responsive manufacturing. Lohtander’s work is particularly notable for bridging the gap between theoretical VR capabilities and practical shop-floor challenges, offering scalable solutions for industries dealing with high-mix, low-volume production. His research continues to influence the development of cyber-physical systems where human intuition and digital precision coexist.