Digital Twin: The Technology of a New Digital Era (with 3 mind blowing examples)

Digital Transformation has arrived. With China leading the 5G technology, IoT (Internet of Things) systems even more popular, and the presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in-home gadgets, virtualization is closer than ever.

A little bit of industry technology history: The Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, technology is utilized to achieve better results and increase workforce productivity at the lowest cost. This passage from industrial revolutions is very well punctuated by Gjoko Muratovski, in an article published by Forbes Magazine:

“By the mid-1850s, powered by water and steam, the First Industrial Revolution marked the introduction of mechanized production. With the invention of electricity, by the beginning of the 1900s, the Second Industrial Revolution enabled mass production to take place. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, the Third Industrial Revolution leveraged the use of electronics and information technology to automate mass production. At the turn of the century, new cyber-physical systems started shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the intent of taking the automation process to an entirely new level.”

Automation and Simulation of industrial processes: Digital Twin case

In the 4th Industrial Revolution, at the beginning of the 21st century, Michael Grieves applied a new concept to manufacturing: the Digital Twin technology. Briefly, Digital Twin is a virtual replica of a physical object in a digital platform, where one can input data, simulate, plan, predict and act virtually, to better understand the real physical entity Also, the technology may or may not contain a 3D model, and its differential is in allowing different data interaction at the platform.

Unlike the BIM Model, Digital Twin technology builds a continuous flow of data between the virtual model and the physical object. These data provided by the physical object influence the digital model and vice versa. Therefore, the outcome is an automated process with confident decisions.

Smart Solutions Powered by Digital Twin Technology

Different sectors, besides the industrial, are already using this innovative technology. I’ve brought two examples of digital twin applied outside manufacturing and a solution to industries:

Healthcare

Have you ever imagined a medical assistance system 100% customized? That is what company Philips is trying to do. The technology, which can already indicate preventive maintenance in industrial assets, could also indicate diagnosis and treatments even before the disease manifestation. The idea of a “digital patient” is still a long way off, but the company has made a successful application on a smaller scale. In this case, a 3D model of a patient’s heart based on 2D scan data and images.

City Management

If you can do a digital twin of an industrial plant, it’s also possible to apply this technology in smart cities. In that sense, you can help city planners understand and improve factors like energy consumption. Singapore is already investing in this technology combined with other digital solutions, as Big Data, IIoT, cloud computing, and virtual reality, for testing city solutions without taking many risks. The cost-efficiency approach can change the way we develop and improve city life.

Industry Software

A platform powered with Digital Twin can also count on other technologies coming from Industry 4.0, such as Industrial IoT, sensors and AI. IoT sensors can provide real-time data on the status of equipment in the plant, sent directly to digital platforms. These data can still be analyzed by Artificial Intelligence, providing valuable insights.

Vidya Software combines Digital Twin technology with 3D models and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive industries to digital transformation. Thus, you can control your Digital Twin through a cloud platform and use other devices, such as mobile devices or system integration to manage asset integrity. With AI, we can also simulate maintenance budgets, providing greater control and agility for complex industrial operations.

Lead the Smart Future!

The popularization of these technologies and their increasing presence in our daily lives points to a connected and agile future. Those who work in industries will need to be aware of the digital transformation and the changes it brings to everyday life. Therefore, the smart future of industries lies in knowledge in practice powered with high-end technology. Only in this way can we achieve a reliable and sustainable industrial production. Vidya Technology is leading the digital transformation to industries. Know more about our project here.