Industry 4.0: Digital Twins
Digital Twins have been receiving increasing interest over the past decade, driven mainly by the growth of enabling technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, there is still confusion about what Digital Twins are and why they are essential. In this article, we'll discuss the concept of Digital Twins, their importance, and their expected role in the future.
What is a Digital Twin?
The Digital Twin concept dates back to a 2002 University of Michigan presentation by Dr. Michael Grieves on Product Lifecycle Management. The original idea involved a bidirectional connection between a physical and virtual space. Thus, the virtual space uses data from the physical space, and vice versa. The term "Digital Twin" was coined by John Vickers in 2010 and later adopted by NASA.
Digital Twin Definition
The Digital Twin Consortium defines a Digital Twin as "a virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, synchronized at a specified frequency and fidelity." By adding that data flow between the physical and digital entities can be either manual or automatic. Automatic data flow enables more accurate simulation or AI-based predictive outcomes, providing valuable real-time feedback to the physical object.
Why Use Digital Twins?
Digital Twins are expected to be pivotal enablers for Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories, characterized by cyber-physical systems where software systems, products, and machines communicate directly. They have the potential to eliminate data silos and increase interoperability by providing a unified Application Programming Interface (API), connecting different systems and data formats.
Digital Twins: Beyond the Buzzword
In 2018, Gartner's Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies placed Digital Twins at the peak of inflated expectations. At this peak, expectations surpassed the technology's actual capabilities. However, Gartner predicts that, between 2023 and 2028, Digital Twins will reach the plateau of productivity, where the technology's benefits are demonstrated in real-world use cases, leading to increased adoption.
Challenges in Adoption of Digital Twins
A critical factor hindering the widespread adoption of Digital Twins is the lack of standardization. Standards are crucial for establishing communication between digital entities and ensuring the semantic understanding of data.
Moreover, open-source software and collaborative organizations, like the Open Manufacturing Platform, Digital Twin Consortium, and Industrial Digital Twin Association, are driving Digital Twin adoption by providing open specifications and code.
Conclusion
Digital Twins are virtual entities bidirectionally linked to their physical counterparts, offering valuable real-time feedback and increased interoperability. As the technology moves beyond the hype and towards the plateau of productivity, we can expect widespread adoption in the coming years.
With the development of standards and open-source software, the widespread use of Digital Twins is on the horizon, promising significant advancements in Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories. Read more about, how automaited is unleashing the power of AI and how automaited can provide you with operational excellence.
