#88-Digital Twins and AI-Avatars will be normal by 2025–2030
What is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin is a virtual, data, or digital copy of a living or non-living physical entity made with the help of sensors, algorithms, and smart devices. A digital twin is the virtual reflection of the physical identity, after which it has been modeled. Data is transmitted seamlessly and on a real-time basis, allowing the virtual entity to reflect the activity in the physical entity simultaneously. A digital twin of the physical system to perform real-time optimization and changes in the physical entity. In cases of machinery and robots, a digital twin acts as the controlling remote of the physical entity.
There is the ongoing integration of the physical world with the digital world. Imagine any big manufacturing plant with hundreds of big machines. Currently, if one machine or a part of a machine becomes faulty, it also influences the entire batch, especially if there is no backup available. If there was a digital twin available for each of the machines, then the exact fault could be located and corrected in the shortest possible time. The digital twin technology that gives real-time data has enormous implications on cost savings and predictive maintenance.
Where are We Now?
- The business case for a digital twin is logical and real: Digital twins integrate the internet of things, machine learning, software analytics, artificial intelligence, with spatial network graphs. The aim is to build living digital simulation models that update and imitate as their physical counterparts change. A digital twin continuously upgrades, learns, and updates itself from multiple sources to represent the physical working machine, its position on a real-time status. This learning system trains itself, using sensor data that convey various aspects of its operating condition. It also gets trained from human experts, such as engineers with in-depth and relevant industry expertise, from other similar machines, from other related categories of machines, and the larger equipment and environment. A digital twin also leverages historical data from past machine usage to factor into its digital model.
- Digital twin helps in predictive maintenance: Predictive maintenance becomes easy with the help of digital twins. Imagine the production engineers being able to review the entire machine on a tablet or in a 3-dimensional model? It will significantly reduce downtime and expedite normalcy in large manufacturing plants.
- Optimizes operations: In various industries, digital and data twins are being used to optimize the operation and maintenance of systems, physical machinery, and manufacturing processes. They are a crucial technology for the Industrial Internet of things. Digital twins technology allows physical objects to connect and engage with other machines and people virtually. In The Internet of things parlance, digital twins are also called as “cyber objects” or “digital avatars.”The digital twin is also a crucial element of cyber-physical systems.
Where are We Going?
- A digital twin model: As the cost of IoT sensors, cloud storage, and computation falls, it will make much sense to have a digital twin for every expensive physical machine, engine, or equipment. Enormous opportunities for Software developers to work in conjunction with the manufactures of the industrial equipment- GE industrial, Rolls Royce engines. The digital twin can be sold alongside the actual machine for an additional charge or as part of the asset maintenance plan.
- All big physical machines will have a digital twin or AR/VR pop-outs: Imagine taking a look at a spare part of a car, plane’s engine, or a massive industrial asset. There will be augmented or virtual reality pop-outs that will share information about these parts and how to troubleshoot the issue impacting the piece of the entire machinery. Manual and brochures will be replaced by a digital twin or an AR/VR add-ons.
- Real-time Data twins are already a reality: Spektacom, a sports technology company founded by cricketer Anil Kumble, build an alliance with Microsoft. The aim is to help professional cricketers, commentators, coaches, and enthusiastic fans find the answer through real-time data in every hit by the batsman. Spektacom has created a 5-gram credit card-sized sensor that seamlessly and unobtrusively adheres to the back of a cricket bat—transforming it into what Anil describes as the “power bat.” The sensor captures several data points, without the batsman getting disturbed. Leveraging a “stump box” positioned behind the wicket and equipped with Microsoft’s Azure Sphere, it uploads the data to Microsoft Azure in real-time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) then helps the batsman understand the quality of the shot (how far the impact was from the bat’s sweet spot), the speed of the bat, the twist of the bat, and the power of the shot. All this information can be analyzed in real-time across different platforms (desktop and mobile) to give the “Spek” score of that shot.
Future Transformation Roadmap: Top Imperatives for the CXO’s
- Implement data-lake and hybrid cloud technologies to capture data generated on your mobile apps, platforms, and IoT infrastructure
- Partner with organizations that can build digital and data twins for your manufacturing plants and big machines.
- Plan short, medium, and long-term investments in end-to-end automation and predictive maintenance capabilities.
Best regards,
Sidhartha Sharma (views are personal)
Digital Strategy Expert
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