Digital Twin Technology – A catalyst for transformation

April 25, 2023 by tina.bm

Digital Twin is one of the key concepts that’s driving Industry 4.0 transformation. In simple terms, a digital twin is nothing but the creation of a highly complex virtual model of an exact counterpart (twin) of a physical thing that is run in a simulation environment to test its performance and efficiency. The physical thing could be anything and something as small as a water pump or as vast as a whole city. Digital twin technology is not just about making replicas of physical assets. It can be utilized to simulate processes to see how they will work in the future. It can predict how a device or process will function by analysing the data received and learning from its history.

The Origin

Though the concept of the digital twin was first proposed formally in 2022 by NASA consultant and academician Michael Grieves, you would be surprised to know that the concept has been around since the 1960s. NASA used basic twining ideas for their space programs. They even developed a digital twin to assess and simulate the conditions for the Apollo 13 mission. Even though the concept has been familiar for a very long period, only recently has it evolved to be one of the top strategic technology trends. The proliferation of IoT and cloud also aided the faster adoption of this technology.

Digital Twin & IoT

The relationship between Digital Twin technology and IoT is symbiotic in nature. The physical connections between the physical entity and its twin are mostly done through IoT sensors. Similarly, IoT equally requires digital twins because they provide a definite structure, analytics, and usability to the chunk of IoT data which is otherwise incoherent and hard to interpret. Finally, analytics with the aid of AI and ML is vital in processing and analyzing digital twin data.

Advantages of Digital Twins

Since they are virtual, Digital Twins can significantly reduce cost and the risk of having to work on the physical entity they represent. They also have the following additional advantages:

Faster data processing leads to improved operational efficiency and better production
Cost-effective R&D from replacing physical prototypes which are rigid and difficult to modify with virtual twins that are flexible and give useful data
Easy to fix issues because maintenance issues can be investigated in a single digital twin instead of shutting down all the equipment to identify an issue
More accurate information on the age and contents of a product enables better end-of-life processes

Putting Digital Twins to real-world applications:

The potential application and uses of digital twins are unending. Here are some of the common applications of this technology listed below:

– Manufacturing

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of digital twins is the manufacturing sector. Using this technology, it is easy to create simulations of the various steps involved in manufacturing. The real-time data fed into the virtual twin will help to optimize and better the manufacturing process. This also allows the business to pre-empt errors and take preventive actions thereby saving costs and boosting efficiency.

– Enabling last-mile delivery in e-commerce

The biggest boon to e-commerce is that digital twins can simulate entire routes and schedules and take into consideration real-time information on weather, traffic, and delivery volume. This helps to optimize the delivery process and reduce fuel and operational costs. The technology can also identify and address customer-related issues. The data from the solution can also optimize the environmental impact by giving vital inputs on fuel consumption and emissions.

– Automotive

A digital twin can play a critical role in testing and optimizing Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). By simulating various scenarios such as lane driving, cruise control, and collision prevention, developers can identify issues and resolve them even before the vehicle is manufactured. Overall, digital twins can improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of ADAS systems.

– Disaster management and flood prevention

A State like Kerala, ravaged by two major floods in a short span can make use of digital twins to better understand the weather patterns and take adequate precautions. 3D digital twins can be used to analyse the flood scenarios and their impact on the State’s key infrastructure like roads, buildings, etc. It can identify potential flood-prone areas, bottlenecks, or high-risk areas and suggest ways to reduce impact and improve the efficiency of flood response efforts.

– Utility Industry (telecom, energy )

The use of digital twins in the utility industry is ground-breaking, giving us the option to optimize our processes through virtual modelling and simulation. Advanced analytics can improve network coverage and user experience in the telecom sector. Digital twins can be used to duplicate the physical or operational traits of a power plant or other utility asset prior to its construction and to help improve operations and maintenance over the useful life of a physical installation.

– Urban Planning

Digital twins play a key role in the design of smart city initiatives which aims to digitally connect infrastructure using AI and IoT. They can be used effectively to design cities of the future that are more energy efficient and sustainable.

Tips to remember before deploying Digital Twins

– Digital Twins handle a lot of data from different endpoints. Therefore, it’s critical that your security protocols and systems are updated to avoid any security breach scenarios

– Ensure that all employees are trained adequately to work with digital twins

– Digital twin relies on a huge amount of data from hundreds of sensors that communicate over unreliable networks. Hence, it is important to exclude bad data and manage gaps in the data flow.

The way ahead

The digital twin technology is a progressive innovation that is bound to scale greater achievements in the future. Using digital replicas, the technology has enabled better optimization of processes and testing of the most recent technologies of our times. With the rapid adoption seen in the digital twin space, it’s going to be interesting times ahead and the radical transformation of our industry has already commenced.