What is a Digital Twin? And how IoT Horizon has adopted this technology.
The Digital Twin is not a new technology, it has been an element of modern-day technology since 2002. You may have even used one and not even realised. One example that I wasn’t aware of that I had used was the hazard perception section of the DVLA driving test app, as this is a digital twin of average roads in the UK. A digital twin is a digital version of reality, that is used as a bridge between the physical and digital world. This is to help people experience different environments from the comfort of their homes and workplaces.
Digital Twins can be used in everyday scenarios. For example, virtual tours allow you to deliver interactive tours of your building, factory, or production line from anywhere in the world. The digital environment allows you to explore the interior and exterior of a building without physically being there in person. This would be useful in education for school, university, or college open days as a fully immersive 3D experience can be created that reflects any real-world event and enables people to explore and interact as if potential students or parents are there in person.
The Digital Twin can also be used in place of a real-world simulation as Digital Twins are more cost-effective. Therefore, a Digital Twin would be useful for companies that heavily rely on simulations that need to learn fast (e.g., self-driving car manufacturers). Digital Twins enable companies to simulate their shop floor or their entire business. Though the market for digital twins is relatively small, it is expected to grow to 36 billion dollars by 2025. Increased digitisation and IoT adoption are making it easier for businesses to build accurate Digital Twins and drive the adoption of the technology.
IoT Horizon Case Study for the Digital Twin
At IoT Horizon, we have partnered with PixelMax to successfully develop a Digital Twin for the AMRC North West building. The AMRC’s goal is to help North West SME Manufacturers access advanced technologies that will drive improvements in productivity, performance, and quality. The AMRC has invested in a Digital Twin to further reach the engagement goal and to demonstrate Smart Building/Smart Manufacturing technologies to SMEs. Businesses and customers will have access to an immersive experience and will be able to virtually walk around the AMRC building to see the facilities available. For example, to understand what machines will be used to develop or test products or which rooms they are attending for an in-person meeting/demonstration.
Interior of the AMRC and an example virtual meeting room
The Digital Twin at the AMRC will also be a useful tool to demonstrate virtual factory, facility tours, animated fly-throughs, virtual reality experiences, and interactive tours to new employees and new customers. This can be conducted from anywhere in the world and is perfect for customers that are international, as they will be able to access a production workflow simulation to see how their products will be produced. For new employees, the Digital Twin can also allow you to create bespoke health and safety inductions, staff, and new starter interactive training content. The Digital Twin at the AMRC will also have a community presence provided by multiplayer avatars which will make virtual networking possible through voice and video text chat.
The exterior of the AMRC with fire assembly point.
To find out how Digital Twins can benefit your business, contact IoT Horizon today: sales@iothorizon.com
References
- https://research.aimultiple.com/digital-twins/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/03/06/what-is-digital-twin-technology-and-why-is-it-so-important/?sh=112e44352e2a
- https://iothorizon.com/digital-twin/