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arXiv · 2601.19234

iFAN Ecosystem: A Unified AI, Digital Twin, Cyber-Physical Security, and Robotics Environment for Advanced Nuclear Simulation and Operations

Youndo Do·Chad Meece·Marc Zebrowitz·Spencer Banks·Myeongjun Choi·Xiaoxu Diao·Kai Tan·Michael Doran·Jason Reed·Fan Zhang
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Abstract

As nuclear facilities experience digital transformation and advanced reactor development, AI integration, cyber-physical security, and other emerging technologies such as autonomous robot operations are increasingly developed. However, evaluation and deployment is challenged by the lack of dedicated virtual testbeds. The Immersive Framework for Advanced Nuclear (iFAN) ecosystem is developed, a comprehensive digital twin framework with a realistic 3D environment with physics-based simulations. The iFAN ecosystem serves as a high-fidelity virtual testbed for plant operation, cybersecurity, physical security, and robotic operation, as it provides real-time data exchange for pre-deployment verification. Core features include virtual reality, reinforcement learning, radiation simulation, and cyber-physical security. In addition, the paper investigates various applications through potential operational scenarios. The iFAN ecosystem provides a versatile and secure architecture for validating the next generation of autonomous and cyber-resilient nuclear operations.

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Youndo Do, Chad Meece, Marc Zebrowitz, Spencer Banks, Myeongjun Choi, Xiaoxu Diao, Kai Tan, Michael Doran, Jason Reed, Fan Zhang. 2026-01-27. iFAN Ecosystem: A Unified AI, Digital Twin, Cyber-Physical Security, and Robotics Environment for Advanced Nuclear Simulation and Operations. https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.19234

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