So, I was a bit lost on which subject to write about. When I asked a close friend of mine if he could throw some inspirations to my head, well there was one subject that caught my attention: Digital Twins, an interactive technology between the real and virtual worlds which Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality are indicators in web 3.0.
The application of digital twins was originally from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1970 when the spacecraft launched into space, the oxygen tank exploded all of sudden which leads to a critical situation for the astronauts. NASA used the digital model of Apollo 13 to simulate it and sent the oxygen tank to the astronauts in the spacecraft to save them.
Nowadays, the buzzword ‘digital twins’ is loosely used by people in the business world while its clear definition is missing. Kimberly Borden and Anna Herlt, McKinsey Operations Practice partners, describe the ‘true twin’ as that often involves numerous physical models and simultaneously process real-time data in present time. Essentially, the digital twin has to be linked with real data sources from the environment and is capable to update the ‘real time twin’. Take Google Maps for example, it links your real-time data on traffic while optimizing your directions or driving routes.
When you think about human twins which can be divided in identical and non-identical, digital twins also have archetypes: product twin (represents a product), production plant (an entire manufacturing facility), network twin (procurement/supply chain), and infrastructure twin (bridges/traffic). The challenge of implementing these archetypes lies in the digital maturity. The need of data infrastructures such as product lifecycle management, product data management and access to high-quality data from testing as well as real-time data environment is one of the key elements to gain insights into the ever-changing preferences, customization and experiences of customers.
What other benefits can companies get from digital twins? Take Tesla for example, each vehicle has an embedded sensor which constantly gather its digital twin performance and environmental data while the artificial intelligence analysis optimizes its utmost best in different climates. As a result, visits of customers has increasingly reduced Tesla’s service center. Another one is General Electric company (GE) which provides engines for 70% of planes in the entire world. Meaning, GE is responsible for the safety of millions passengers. A digital twin is developed for its GE90 machine, integrated in the Boeing 777 aircraft, to predict the degradation of the engine . The Middle East region in particular has a high damage rate of the engine’s fan blade but before any problem occurs, the digital twin is there to rescue. In other words, to schedule proper maintenance before the engines’ damage.
As other leading technology companies adopt digital twins to strengthen their businesses, the challenges will arise without any regulations and essential guidelines. Considering Artificial Intelligence ethics can be a popular culprit, what other challenges can you think of?
References
Borden, K., & Herlt, A. (2022, October 3). Digital twins: What could they do for your business? (C. Johnson, Interviewer)
Guo, J., Lv, Z. Application of Digital Twins in multiple fields. Multimed Tools Appl 81, 26941–26967 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-022-12536-5
Preface (2022). What is ‘Digital Twin’? An introduction to the NASA technology. [online] Preface. Available at: https://www.preface.ai/blog/tech/digital-twin-technology/ [Accessed 7 Oct. 2022].
Really interesting topic!. Especially, I was not aware of the first application of digital twins in the NASA mission. It’s amazing to think that NASA utilized digital twins to save lives. As you mentioned, a challenge to the implementation of digital twins in companies rests on digital maturity. To contribute to your post, I found that many company provide digital twins to businesses and consumers. For instance, the IBM digital twin exchange allow customers to browse, purchase, download and manage digital twins model from partners. Similarly, Oracle provides companies with the required computing infrastructure to manage digital twins. In addition, they offer an autonomous platform where businesses can utilize a variety of digital twins models and data. Digital twins are definitely helpful for companies and, as a consequence, their availability and accessibility is increasing.