Digital Twins

A digital twin is a virtual representation of the natural and current conditions of an object, a process by which data and even information can be integrated in real-time for constant updating during all stages of its useful life to document and test it in simulated conditions similar to the real ones in a faster and less costly way.

How do the Digital Twins work?

A digital twin helps integrate digital information of a real object we represent. Imagine factory equipment that, by clicking on it, we can have a simulation with a complete analysis of the manufacturer and display data such as model, brand, serial number, colour, responsible for the equipment, and any content of your interest. For example, we can add to the digital twin of a monument the documentation of it, such as its history, its creator, a biography, or in the areas of urban planning, add plans and benefits of each of the elements that are part of the urban plan, among other things.

Digital twins can improve decision-making processes by predicting future states and trends. A digital twin can be used as a training tool, for example, in the medical field, to practice surgeries without endangering patients. Also, it is possible to create virtual models of products before their manufacture, which would help reduce costs and improve the quality of products.

The use of digital twins can also help us understand how things work and identify problems before they happen. In this way, we can avoid potential failures and losses. For example, if you have a digital twin of a car, you can know when a part needs replacement or what driving habits cause more wear and tear on the vehicle.

Digital twins are, therefore, a potent tool that can help us make better decisions, optimize processes and even improve the quality of products.

Turbine generated by a digital twin for the industrial sector.

What can we do with a digital twin?

The digital twins allow the collaboration of different people in manipulating the same since a digital object can travel through the Internet. The actions of the users can focus on the thing without the need to be physically there, which allows us to have contributions from different parts of the world and get several data from products and services.

With digital twins, we can get virtual representations that capture the physics of things and changing circumstances internally and externally, as measured by various connected sensors driven by edge computing. They may also perform simulations inside the virtualizations to look for issues and gain improvements through service updates.

This image shows that a virtual representation of a physical environment by means of a digital twin.
Representative icon of a topographic scan. Service performed in Juarez Thompson.

WE CAN USE DIGITAL TWINS IN THESE DIFFERENT SECTORS:

  • Rapid prototyping
  • Quality control
  • Reverse engineering
  • Virtual reality
  • Animation
  • Architecture
  • Archaeology
  • Medicine
Representative icon of a 3D laser scan. Service offered by Juarez Thompson.

DIGITAL TWINS ALLOW US TO WORK WITH THE FOLLOWING:

  • Simulation
  • Detail level
  • Innovation
  • Performance
  • Real-time processes

WITH DIGITAL TWINS, WE CAN GET THE FOLLOWING:

  • Real time feedback
  • Innovation
  • Virtual model of any kind of physical object

Is digital twins the future?

With advances in machine learning and other factors such as data mining, virtual systems are becoming an essential element in the development of modern technology; this includes Digital Twins and their reusable virtual technology. Digital Twinning is a tool to improve technology and reduce maintenance costs. The resulting technology and the resulting product are both cost-effective.

Digital twins will have a profound and widespread impact in the coming years. They are still in their early stages of development, but they have the potential to change the way we design, build and operate systems. In the future, digital twins will create virtual models of entire cities or factories. Plus would help planners to optimize designs and identify ways to save money or improve performance.

Before manufacturing a product, digital twins can help verify quality and thus reduce costs on products that need improvement.

Industries like engineering, manufacturing, and entertainment have already begun implementing digital twins in essential processes.

Why is the use of digital twin technology essential?

Digital twins are a force for innovation and performance. Consider it your most excellent product technicians with the most sophisticated monitoring, analytical, and predictive tools to collect all the crucial data to improve your services.

Digital twins can help us simulate scenarios that otherwise would be very costly or impossible to reproduce, such as testing a product under extreme conditions. They also allow real-time monitoring of machines, products and services to detect faults and optimize performance.

In conclusion, digital twins are essential because they provide a virtual model of any physical object and can capture the physics of things and change circumstances internally and externally. This technology can improve our products, services, and urban planning.

How digital twins has impacted the industry?

Digital twins have been used in industries for a while now. The aviation industry is one such industry. They use digital twins to improve the process of manufacturing planes and reduce the chances of errors.

Digital twins are also being used in the automotive industry to improve the quality of cars. The use of digital twins helps identify vehicle problems before they happen; this helps reduce the number of recalls that the automotive industry has to face every year.

The military is another sector that makes use of digital twins. They use digital twins to create virtual models of real-world objects. These models are then used for training soldiers and testing new weapons.

Is a digital twin just a model?

No, a digital twin is not just a model. A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object. It has all the data associated with that object. This data is used to improve the performance of the physical thing.

Digital twins are often used for simulation purposes. Simulation allows us to test products and services in a safe and controlled environment.

What are the benefits of using digital twins?

The benefits of using digital twins are:

  • Improvement of products and services
  • Reduction in maintenance costs
  • Faster time to market
  • Increased efficiency
  • Improved safety

Are there any disadvantages to using digital twins?

There are no real disadvantages to using digital twins apart from the initial.

What is a Digital Twin?

How does a company adapt to digital twins?

Virtual systems are becoming a necessary element for the development of modern technology, including Digital Twins and their virtual technology to obtain the digital data of an object.

Companies need to adapt to the era of digital twins; this means that companies have to change the way they operate and think because now the goal is not to sell a product or service for the sake of it; the goal is to sell the experience of using the product or service in their business.

To achieve this, companies have to invest in technology and design, as these two models will allow the company to offer a unique and unrepeatable user experience for its users and improve the operation and manufacture of its equipment and products.

Engineer performing tests and checks on a digital twin.

What are the advantages, and in which scenarios can you request a digital twin for your company or business?

Digital twins allow us to capture the data of the condition of an object at a given time and preserve it for posterity, as in the case of a digital twin of a building or a historical monument.

Thanks to this, companies will be able to continue doing the same type of business at incredible speed and efficiency thanks to the digital transformation they will have when using digital cufflinks.

Here are some examples of how a digital twin can help us: 

Benefits of a digital twin - Restauration

A notorious case was the fire in the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which is being restored thanks to a digitized version of the video game Assassin's Creed; this allowed them to restore it to the smallest detail.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Digital twins allow us to visualize the interrelationship between different elements at a three-dimensional level to generate proposals, as in the case of engineering.

Benefits of a digital twin - Industrial Facilities

Many times we find industrial plants that have places with very complex pipe paths that intersect or cross in different planes. If we want to do new engineering, we must consider these conditions so that the routing of the new pipe does not collide with the existing ones; this allows us to avoid extra work or errors when building or manufacturing.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Thanks to digital twins, prototypes exist in the manufacturing industry, which can be subjected to simulations of actual working conditions.

The twin can also be designed from a similar prototype, where feedback can be provided while improving the product(s).

Benefits of a digital twin - Manufacturing

A motor or mechanical part can be designed and subjected to different types of forces and vibrations to generate a mapping of the places with more significant effort. Based on that, reinforce the design to minimize damage to the motor over time.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Digital twins allow us to integrate new proposals into an existing reality, as is the case of digital twins in urban planning or city design.

Benefits of a digital twin - Urbanism

The projection of a park within an existing subdivision so that the proposal can convince the authorities that they can invest in a project or that the affected neighbours visualize the benefits a modification like this can bring them; this is applied to the transformation of large areas within a city.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Digital twins allow us to document and inspect details or contexts of spaces that would be risky in the real place, such as digital twins of nuclear plants or processes within a hazardous industry such as the steel industry.

Benefits of a digital twin - Risky Industries and Places

The industries in which it is time-consuming to access specific spaces due to their risky conditions and special permits must be generated, and personal protective equipment is an excellent option. Having the digital twin helps protect the user who must access the area and even visit remote places, such as taking a specific measurement on an oil rig in the middle of the sea. IMAGINE the time and money you could save by having the digital twin and not travelling by boat or helicopter to take a measurement.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Digital twins allow us to replicate or modify the actual conditions of an object, such as an action figure or a mask, and increase the capacity of storage, management and analysis systems due to the large volume of data handled by digital twins, among other things.

Benefits of a digital twin - Entertainment

Maybe we like a toy or some art sample, but it turns out that we also want to modify it with our creativity and ingenuity. In this case, the first thing we have to do is create its digital twin and make the necessary changes with the use of design programs. It even helps us to generate 3D replicas in the digital world of something we might be very passionate about, like a famous statue and put it in our living room.

What problem can we solve here with the digital twins?

Digital twins of people can be generated, which can be used in medicine or sports. As mentioned above, they are an excellent tool for solving problems using artificial intelligence to extract data from objects or people.

Digital twins are handy for engineers or architects because, having a detailed history of the digital model, they can analyze faults and create new, more reliable versions.

How big is the digital twin market? 

Digital twins are still relatively new but quickly gaining popularity and investment. GE's Predix platform, which includes digital twins, raised $515 million in September 2016. And Microsoft has also been investing in the technology, with its Azure IoT Suite announced in 2015.

So far, the applications of digital twins have been largely limited to the industrial and manufacturing sectors. But there is immense potential for the technology to be used in other industries. With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things, we can expect to see more and more innovative applications of digital twins shortly.

What are the challenges of digital twins?

One of the main challenges of digital twins is data management. As digital twins generate large amounts of data, it can be challenging to manage and store it effectively. Another challenge is security. As digital twins contain sensitive information about an organization's products and processes, abases and cyber security are critical to keeping this information safe.

There is no doubt that digital twins are revolutionizing how we design, manufacture, and use products. With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things, we can expect to see more and more amazing applications of digital twins shortly.

Data capture and integration with digital twins

In summary, digital twins are a very flexible tool that allows us to analyze and solve problems in many fields. The digital twins help us massively monitor and digitize industry processes requiring strict integration and industrial automation architecture.

Thanks to digital twins, businesses can now see how their products perform in real-time.

Application in the industry of a digital twin, analyzing live data.

What are its advantages, and in which scenarios can we use it?

Advantages:

  • It allows us to capture the condition of an object at a particular time and preserve it for posterity, as is the case of a digital twin of a building or historical monument.
Scenario 1 - Restauration
Scenario 2 - Industrial Facilities
Scenario 3 - Manufacturing
Scenario 4 - Urbanism
Scenario 5 - Risky Industries and Places
Scenario 6 - Entertainment

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