M4E #17: What is a Digital Twin? (and what it isn't)
So today we are going to delve into one of the hype terms in the Industry 4.0 domain: the Digital Twin! Put very briefly, a digital twin is a virtual representation of a real entity composed by several digitized features that provide added value over its physical counterpart. The next video from the Industry40tv Youtube channel summarises quite well the key points regarding digital twins. You won’t regret watching it!
Time for Insights
Digital Twins where originally called “Mirrored Space Models” at 2002 and the current term appeared first at 2010 in NASA’s draft version of their technological roadmap.
We have seen what is a digital twin but sometimes we can read some articles or product descriptions where a simple 3D model or simulation is considered to be a digital twin. Many sources consider that a real digital twin must be fed with real-time and continuous data from sensors, update its state and be capable of predicting its future state. This doesn’t mean that 3D models or simulations can’t be part of a digital twin, but they are only one of its many available features.
There are many initiatives searching to standardize digital twins and their features. The Digital Twin Consortium and the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA) are among the most relevant organizations in this field.