Just a few decades ago it was hard to conceive a time when virtual worlds would reflect the real world. Today we are fast approaching an era where every real person, thing and even animal has a digital profile with corresponding attributes that meld the physical with the virtual.
In other words, we are heading towards a world where ‘digital twins’ are pervasive. Wikipedia defines digital twin as “a digital replica of a living or non-living physical entity. By bridging the physical and the virtual world, data is transmitted seamlessly allowing the virtual entity to exist simultaneously with the physical entity.” When I first heard of this concept, I have to admit I was skeptical of the use, repercussions and even relevancy of digital twins. However, I am now convinced that a world where digital profiles are used to enhance human quality of life, improve business efficiency and effectiveness, is near if not already here. To illustrate my optimism, let’s consider a few use cases.
Machines –
Thanks to sensors embedded into mechanical and electromechanical devices, we can now collect info on every aspect of machine operation. This is unprecedented and yields a view into the machine operation that was impossible before. Machine producers are now maintaining a digital version on each unit shipped, to track the unit’s operation from the time the unit leaves the factory. Armed with troves of data, they can now offer customers new insights and better service. Most important is the ability to predict and prevent unexpected downtime or expensive failures. Enabled by connectivity and the cloud, service technicians can now access the machine unit remotely and take actions without physically being at the unit – saving time and thousands of dollars in service trips. These new paradigms are changing how factories are managed.
Buildings & Infrastructure –
The ability to represent physical structures in dynamic digital models is changing how buildings and infrastructure are built, managed and optimized. Maintaining a virtual twin of the infrastructure constituting not only the buildings but all the related systems is becoming increasingly prevalent, particularly in new urban areas. Remote visibility into occupancy, traffic, and environmental parameters allows virtual modeling of what-if scenarios with real data. A near real-time view into utilization not only allows for tweaking of utilities (water, electricity, etc) consumption, but it also facilitates rapid auditing. Quick identification of issues and rapid resolution are just a few advantages ushered in by domain experts remotely examining the digital twin.
This use case probably resonates the most with me as I think back to my time at State of Colorado when we were trying to understand the structural efficacy of buildings, highways, and bridges. We typically had little real information to assist in preventing incidents, especially without having to travel long distances to remote locations in order to physically ascertain the health of the infrastructure. Additionally, think of times of disaster when having accurate, real time information is so critical to preventing death and destruction.
Metering & Service Devices –
Meters surround us in all kinds of daily activities. From electricity, gas and water meters in a typical home to fuel measurement gauges on oil and gas pipelines, meters are key to ensuring safety and revenue for service providers. These devices are hard to maintain and often need service personnel to physically turn them on or off causing providers to incur expensive truck roll costs. The digital pairing of virtual meters with the physical meters has made it very easy to not only start and stop services to customers but has also increased the flexibility to provide on-demand services with no wait time.
All the above use cases are just a few prominent examples of the value of digital twins. I’d love to hear from you on other examples or use cases you’ve come across. As the world undergoes more digitization, we will have a near complete representation of our physical world in the digital realm. Digital twins will dramatically enhance our lives by complementing the operation of physical entities with data insights and historical trends. Gone will be the days where we operate with incomplete knowledge.
