Have you heard of Digital Twins?

[shukla7789]

For those who have never heard of them, Digital Twins are virtual replicas of a physical product, process or system. True bridges between the physical world and the digital world, Digital Twins are successors to the pairing technology used by NASA in the early days of space exploration. But let's take it one step at a time!

Digital Twins: what are they?
The concept of Digital Twins originated at NASA. As a result of the need to find effective ways to deal with the difficulties associated with the mission known as Apollo 13 , this organization began to use data, collected from sensors, to create a "virtual model of a process, product or service". This digital representation, dubbed a Digital Twin, then began to use information to obtain effective results.

With the advancement of technology, Digital Twins are no longer just kenya whatsapp number database representations of items. Today, the integration of Digital Twins with sophisticated sensors, Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning is a reality. Being fed by high-performance databases, Digital Twins are able to gather and process a significant set of data, in real time. This, of course, maximizes their usefulness and provides productivity to a wide and diverse range of processes.

Digital Twins in practice
Digital Twins are a technology with wide practical applications in several different areas. Nowadays, it is possible to create Digital Twins of complex assets, systems or complete processes. The practical applicability of this technology is so broad that some companies are using it to create and test systems, equipment ideas and service models, before moving forward with the investment in their construction or implementation. Digital Twins can be linked to their physical reference and optimize their monitoring with precision and in real time.

The popularity of this technology is so significant that a study by Gartner states that 50% of organizations that use IoT (Internet of Things) are using or plan to use Digital Twins by the end of this year. This percentage will triple by 2022.

Among the various ways in which Digital Twins are used today are training employees, testing new products or experimenting with procedures. Before implementing any type of activity or solution, companies choose to test its viability using Digital Twins. This makes correcting errors and making adjustments easier and less expensive.

Digital Twins: what are the advantages?
Used to solve issues related to the maintenance and repair of space systems, Digital Twins can provide a generic, real-time view of what is happening with equipment or other physical assets located kilometers away.

Currently, the industrial sector is one of the biggest fans of this technology. Chevron , one of the largest multinationals in the oil sector, estimates that it will save millions of dollars in maintenance costs by using Digital Twins. This digital technology has the potential to revolutionize operations. Digital Twins can autonomously analyze critical situations, propose optimized solutions and put them into operation. Among the many advantages that justify the implementation of these digital twins, the comprehensive improvement of ongoing operations stands out, especially with regard to industrial production.

When a company builds a digital replica of its products, the environments in which they operate or the systems they produce, it becomes possible to predict practically everything that will happen in the physical world. For engineers, these digital twins are extremely useful. By providing detailed histories, digital twins make it possible to detect errors and inaccuracies effectively, facilitating the production of more reliable versions. This reality was proven by the consultancy IDC, which in 2018 confirmed a 30% improvement in the critical processes of companies that invested in this technology.

Digital Twins and the IT spectrum
According to an article written by Ian Skerrett , to maximize the benefits of Digital Twins, it is essential to establish their integration with IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Thus, Digital Twins must be managed through a management platform, with an open and configurable web API, capable of integrating them with any information system, be it an ERP or an SCM system. This reality has been explored and promoted by Eclipse Ditto, a framework specialized in the management of Digital Twins and their integration with IoT devices.