What is Digital Twin ?
Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical object.
The idea of a Digital Twin is to take all the data collected from the physical device and translate it into a digital format.
A digital twin is a software simulation of a physical product that can be used to better understand its operation.
There are many advantages to the Digital Twin.
Digital twin acts as a real-time digital counterpart for the physical process.
It can be used to predict potential issues and failures in advance, and the simulation can then be refined and improved to control critical faults.
It combines physical data with predictive analytics to provide a digital representation of the product.
We can say that, the first practical digital twin model was introduced by NASA to help them in spacecraft simulation continuous improvement.
The digital twin concept has three parts:
The digital product,
The physical product,
and the connection between the two products.
The connection between the virtual/digital product and physical product is the data that passes from physical product to virtual/digital product and information that is available.
A digital twin is a logical construct, where the actual information and data are found in other applications.
Further, there are three subcategories in digital twin per their level of integration. Digital shadow, digital model, and digital twin.
Examples of Digital Twins
- It is used to optimize the maintenance process of various heavy industry equipment. An example includes equipment used in power generation, aircraft/jet engines, generation turbines, and locomotives.
- 3D modeling also uses this technology to create digital companions of the physical object.
Digital Twin in the Energy sector :
Digital Twins are helping companies, who are having wind energy farms. These windmills are normally located at places, far away from the main city. The production of energy is dependent upon the local weather condition.
Also, the state/condition of the windmill is dependent upon the local weather. As of now, one is not sure how & when to run the wind farm due to the unpredictability of the weather (including wind direction, rains, storm etc.)
Also, what will be the average amount of energy generated per month.
By using digital twin technology, one can create a fully functioning replica of a wind farm and see which wind angles affect the turbine wings the most.
By gathering digital data that represents how much energy the wind farm generated during the past 6 months, one can successfully predict how much energy will be generated in the next 3 years by simulating the event in the future using digital twins.
Moreover, by monitoring the wear and tear damage that was caused by windstorms, one can simulate the same amount of damage to 10 wind energy generators and foresee the average lifespan of their wind farm.
This is helping in the proactive maintenance of windmills.
Aircraft
As of now, it’s very difficult to, know the lifespan of an aircraft.
The reason being, each aircraft, would have flown in different weather conditions, by different pilots to various different destinations.
It’s difficult to know, how long pilots can use an aircraft safely before the potential risk gets higher.
By creating a digital twin of an aircraft’s engine, pilots now have the ability to monitor engine health.
Also, by doing the simulation say for 5 to 15 hours (a normal flight time), one can find out the potential risk of the engine (or any other part of aircraft) experiencing a fatal failure in the near future.
Digital Twin in Manufacturing Industry
Digital twins are getting used in manufacturing plants, which rely on high-cost equipment. This equipment also generates a high volume of data which facilitates creating digital twins. Digital twins can help engineers test the feasibility of upcoming products before launching.
Construction
In urban planning, geographic digital twins are widely used as a new concept of smart cities is in Trend. 3D and 4D models are displayed of the urban cities for better understanding. Augmented reality systems are also used for designing and planning cities. For instance, AR can be used to create a building, maps, etc.
Healthcare industry
The concept of the digital twin is also getting used in equipment prognostics.
Life can be improved with the help of the digital twin in terms of Medical health, education, and sports.
It helps in getting a more data-driven approach to Healthcare.
With the help of Technology, it is possible to build personalized models for the adjustable patient and same can be tracked on Lifestyle parameters.
Automotive Industry
There is a remarkable improvement in the automotive industry with the help of digital twin technology.
Cost can be reduced with the help of digital twins by using the existing data and apply them.
A perfect example of digital twin technology in automotive is the simulation of, how cars will be driven/used in real life. By this process,
various failure conditions can be simulated & tried on ‘Digital Twin’ of the car.
Based on this, Engineers can suggest new features, which should be incorporated in the car to reduce road accidents.
Characteristics of digital twin technology
Few characteristics distinguish the digital twin from other Technologies.
Connectivity
Recent progress made in the internet of things has also helped in evolving the concept & usage of the digital twins.
One of the main characteristics of digital twin technology is connectivity, that is, the connectivity between the digital counterpart and physical component.
The connectivity is created with the help of sensors on the physical product, which collect data & help in making better digital twin models.
Smart and reprogrammable
Digital twin helps the physical product to be reprogrammable in many ways.
For example, data about the performance of an engine can be collected. Now this can be used to create a new version of the product.
Digital traces
While using digital twin Technologies, there are traces left. These traces can be useful for engineers when there is malfunctioning in the machine. The engineers can easily diagnose where the problem has occurred. This also help in improving the design of the machine so that malfunctioning can be reduced.
Modularity
In the manufacturing industry, modularity means customization of a product and its production models.
Modularity to the manufacturing models helps in bringing small changes to the machine.
When the machines are made, modular digital twin Technology helps the manufacturer see which component performs poorly and replaces it.
This will help in rolling out ‘almost failure proof’ machines.
Conclusion: ABout Digital Twin?
The digital twin is an evolving term that is being used to describe a digital representation of a physical device, location, or process.
In essence, it is a digital replica of the physical entity. Consequently, for all intents and purposes, it is an exact replica of the entity.
Hope you enjoy reading …
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