A digital twin is, in essence, a computer program that uses real world data to create simulations that can predict how a product or process will perform.
Some view digital twin technology as the first step into the virtual everything world of the Metaverse. Digital engineering futurists advise that organizations think of the Metaverse as a 3D internet where all companies are connected through their digital twins. This of course has the potential to unlock the complex relationships between the different steps of the value chain.
For example: A retail businesslike Target could connect the digital twin of their retail stores to the digital twins of their supply chains, call centers and warehouses, etc., until every part of Target’s organization was replicated.
This could go a long way to sharing company insights, simulating scenarios and enabling automation of AI use cases.
Another way of looking at it: Digital twins are simply building blocks of the Metaverse. They act as a real-time digital copy of a physical object.
Perhaps one of the most significant ways that the metaverse and digital twins will alter every single person’s life is through transportation. Experts in this field contend we are on the brink of being able to create digital twins of our roadways. By collecting real-time data, we can create virtual copies of physical roadway systems.
The power to see change as it happens, and have a ground-level perspective from anywhere in the world, will drive efficiency and scale never before seen in our economy.
Also in the transportation sector, it’s possible that digital twins could be used to understand how people are using infrastructure and predicting future behaviors as well. By collecting real-time data and gaining insights into how people move and behave, we could make data-driven decisions on how to alter our infrastructure to account for changes in behavior.
Digital roads are already on the drawing board in many smart cities, and the use of digital twin technology seems more likely than not.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Fundamentals of Digital Twins, a 2-day course that covers the key principles of digital twins and how it relates to integration of digital engineering, modeling and simulations, AI/ML, 3D and integration for service and product-related data and systems.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.