What does Digital twin (Digital twin or Digital twins), one of the most important Industry 4.0 technologies currently available, mean and what benefits does it provide? All about Digital twin technology used in manufacturing, automotive, retail, healthcare and more in this article.
What is a digital twin ❓
What is a digital twin? To explain briefly; A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical object, process or service. Digital twins technology, also called digital twins; It is a virtual system that covers the life cycle of an object or system, updated with real-time data, and helps decision-making.Digital twins are models of specific real-world entities equipped with sensors that constantly update their virtual counterparts with granular, high-quality data in real time, as opposed to simulations that run in completely virtual environments separate from the outside world. Businesses and organizations use digital twins to design, build, operate and track products throughout their lifecycle. Armed with up-to-date data on physical objects, digital twins use artificial intelligence and machine learning to build detailed predictive models and predict more accurate results than most simulations.
How does digital twin technology work?
If we explain how the digital twin technology works with an example; For example, the object under examination; A wind turbine is equipped with various sensors related to vital functional areas. These sensors generate data on different aspects of the physical object’s performance, such as energy output, temperature, weather conditions, and more. This data is then transferred to the operating system and applied to the digital copy. The virtual model can now be used to run simulations, examine performance issues and generate potential improvements, all of which can be used to generate valuable insights that can then be applied back to the original physical object.The digital twin is usually built and implemented by people who are data science or applied mathematics experts. These developers investigate the underlying physics of the emulated physical object or system and use this data in the digital realm to develop a mathematical model that simulates the real-world original.
The digital twin is built to receive input from sensors that collect data from its real-world counterpart. This allows the twin to simulate the physical object in real time, providing insight into performance and potential issues in the process. The twin can also be designed based on the prototype of its physical counterpart.
When did the digital twin appear ⌛️
NASA is said to have pioneered the use of digital twin technology. Digital twin technology was first mentioned in 1991 by David Gelernter in the book Mirror Worlds. Dr Michael Grieves is also credited as the person who first applied the digital twin concept to production and officially announced the concept of digital twin software in 2002. Finally, NASA’s John Vickers coined the term digital twin in 2010.How to make a digital twin 🧐
Digital twins are created by importing enterprise and internet of things (IoT) data along with conceptual models (such as BIM, CAD, GIS) for visualization and analysis or scanning real-world physical assets. Powered by real-time 3D, a computer graphics technology that produces interactive content faster than human perception, the digital twin can also organize and present multiple data sources as realistic, interactive visualizations.Digital twins are virtual representations of the movements, forces, and interactions of entities in the physical world. This allows you to interact with dynamic content that is 3D and responds to your actions in real time. In this virtual environment, you can effectively simulate real-world conditions, scenarios, and any conceivable situation and instantly visualize results on any platform, including mobile devices, computers, and augmented, mixed and virtual reality (AR, MR, VR).
Every digital twin distribution is unique. Deployments often happen in stages, with each stage increasing in complexity and business impact. A digital twin is a representation of a large network or system to which a 3D model is dynamically connected, from the product configuration to the engineering, construction and operational data of each component.
Types of digital twins 💡
There are several types of digital twins, depending on the product ratio. The biggest difference between these twins is the field of application. It is common for different types of digital twins to coexist in a system or process. What are the types of digital twins? let’s see:1. Component twins/Part twins
Component twins are the basic unit of the digital twin, which is the smallest instance of a working component. Fragment twins are also more or less the same but relate to slightly less important components.
2. Being twins
When two or more components work together, they are entity twins. Entity twins allow you to examine the interaction of these components, generating a wealth of performance data that can be processed, then translated into actionable insights.
3. System or volume twins
It lets you see how different entities come together to form an entire functioning system. System twins provide visibility into the interaction of entities and can suggest performance improvements.
4. Process twins
Process twins reveal how systems work together to form an entire manufacturing facility. Are all of these systems synchronized to operate at peak efficiency, or are system delays affecting others? Process twins can help identify precise timing schemes that ultimately affect overall effectiveness.
Where are digital twins used ❓
The digital twin is used for a number of applications and purposes in a wide variety of industries. Here are some notable uses:- Production
- Automotive
- Retail
- Health care
- disaster management
- smart cities
Digital twin apps ⬇
- Digital twins can make production more efficient and streamlined while reducing production times.
- An example of situations where digital twins are used in the automotive industry; collecting and analyzing operational data from a vehicle to assess its condition in real time and inform about product improvements.
- Apart from manufacturing and industry, the digital twin is used in the retail industry to model the customer experience and increase the number of customers in shopping malls or individual stores.
- The medical industry is taking advantage of the digital twin in areas such as organ donation, surgical training and reducing the risk of procedures.
- Global climate change has had an impact around the world, but the digital twin can help combat it with the conscious creation of smarter infrastructures, emergency response plans and climate change monitoring.
- The digital twin helps cities become more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. Virtual models can guide planning decisions and offer solutions to many complex challenges facing modern cities.
Examples of digital twins 👇🏻
Automakers have embraced digital twin technology to revolutionize the way cars are built. Ford develops seven digital twins for each vehicle model it produces. Each twin covers different aspects of production, from design to construction and operation. Digital models are used for the production process, production facilities and customer experience. The digital twin accurately identifies energy losses for manufacturing facilities and identifies areas where energy can be conserved and overall production line performance improved.Manufacturing isn’t the only area where digital twins can be used to improve processes; healthcare services also receive support from digital twin technology. Digital twins of patients or their organs allow doctors to simulate procedures and certain environments before trying them in real life. Bandage-sized sensors are used to gather real-life data and inform the digital twin to improve healthcare.
Energy is another industry that benefits from digital twins. GE Digital has increased wind farm productivity by up to 20%.
Simulating real-life events and situations in restaurants is helping the hospitality industry increase the number of customers in the dining and kitchen areas. Hotels also use this technology to analyze the use of their facilities and provide personalized service to each guest.
Factories, hotels, wind farms use digital twins to increase efficiency; What about cities? Singapore and Shanghai have improved energy consumption and traffic flow thanks to the digital twin. Smart cities are fast becoming a reality, providing an excellent way to reduce pollution and improve people’s well-being.
Digital twin technology is becoming more and more common. According to a study, digital twins are expected to reach $16 billion in the global market by 2023. The proliferation of IoT technology will accelerate this growth. Digital twins are changing the way things are done in different industries with changing business practices. That’s why we see digital twin applications in the manufacturing, healthcare, supply chain and retail industries.
Digital twin cities 🏡
Las Vegas, London, Mannheim are among the digital twin cities. It offers a model of urban planning and construction for future sustainable development that effectively combines innovations in digital technology with urban functioning mechanisms and provides a viable pathway for urban development.Through precise maps, virtual-real integration, and intelligent feedback of physical and digital cities, it helps create low-carbon, sustainable environments while promoting safer, more efficient urban activities and more convenient, inclusive everyday services.
According to a new global report from Guidehouse Insights, annual revenue from city-owned digital twins is estimated to reach $2.5 billion by 2023. Widespread in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, digital twins are increasingly being adopted by cities for a variety of use cases, including reducing emissions from buildings, traffic management, economic development, climate action planning and monitoring. ABI Research estimates that more than 500 cities will adopt digital twin technology by 2025, saving city planners $280 billion by 2030.
What are the benefits of digital twin ❓
The benefits of the digital twin vary depending on when and where it is used. For example, using a digital twin to monitor existing products such as a wind turbine or oil pipeline can reduce maintenance burdens and provide significant savings in associated costs. Digital twins can also be used to prototype pre-production, reduce product defects and shorten time-to-market. Another example of using a digital twin is process improvements, such as tracking staffing levels by output or aligning the supply chain with production or maintenance requirements. The benefits of digital twin technology can be listed as follows:- Increasing the reliability of equipment and production lines
- Improved overall equipment effectiveness through reduced downtime, improved performance
- better productivity
- Reducing risk in various areas, including product availability, market reputation
- Faster production time
- New business opportunities such as mass customization, mixed production, small batch production
- Better customer service as customers can configure customized products remotely
- Enhanced product quality and enhanced insight into the performance of your products across multiple real-time applications and environments
- More efficient supply and delivery chains
- higher profit
However, despite all its advantages, the digital twin is not suitable in all situations as it can increase complexity. Some business problems do not require a digital twin and can be solved without the associated investment of time and cost.
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical devices that data scientists and IT professionals can use to run simulations before real devices are built and deployed. The digital twin can also ingest real-time IoT data and apply artificial intelligence and data analytics to optimize performance. Digital twin technology has moved beyond manufacturing into the converging world of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Products, equipment, factories, and even cities are no longer just things in the physical world; they all have their equivalents. Even humans have digital twins.
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