Digital Twin

A digital twin is a virtual replica of the design, behaviour and environment of physical assets that can help organisations reduce downtime, improve asset performance, optimise maintenance schedules and improve safety.

Digital twins can play a key role in asset management by bringing information together in a single environment where assets from bridges, airplanes, machine components or even an entire city can be monitored, tested and explored.

The idea of a working duplicate to test and study performance without impacting the real world is nothing new – NASA used multiple physical and data simulators during the Apollo missions of the 60s and 70s to prepare for any number of possible scenarios.

A digital twin goes further, using sensors to create a complete virtual environment that spans the asset’s lifecycle, is updated from real-time data, and applies simulation, machine learning and reasoning to model innovation and aid decision-making.

Beyond simulation and testing

What makes a digital twin different from a simulator or test environment is maintaining an up-to-date and accurate copy of the asset in the real-world over time.  It is therefore essential that the digital twin is designed around the two-way flow of information, allowing the digital twin to change in real-time along with its physical counterpart.

Ultimately, this means that a digital twin is a vital tool to help engineers and operators understand not only how their assets are performing, but how they will perform in the future.