BIMScaler Blog – In recent years, we have witnessed how digital twin technology is revolutionizing industries across the globe.
By creating digital copies of physical assets, systems, and processes, businesses can now predict what’ll happen, make their operations more efficient, and come up with new ideas.
But as Manish Gupta says in Forbes, digital twins are not just a continuation of childhood fascinations with science fiction. They’re also practical tools driving the evolution of our industries and lives.
That’s why we’re going to take a closer look at digital twins now.
What Is Digital Twin Technology?
A digital twin, as defined by the Deloitte Insights in “Expecting Digital Twins,” is “an evolving digital profile of the historical and current behaviour of a physical object or process that helps optimise business performance.”
These digital twins are more than just simulations; they’re live models that use real-time data from sensors embedded in their physical counterparts.
Simply put, digital twins let you analyse data and monitor systems through simulations, which helps drive innovation and performance across various fields.
The idea was first put forward by Michael Grieves in 2002.
NASA’s use of digital twins in 2010 for spacecraft management was a big moment in the evolution of this technology.
How Digital Twin Technology Works
The idea behind digital twin technology is pretty simple: it uses data from sensors, IoT systems, machine learning, cloud computing, and predictive analytics to simulate real-world scenarios in real time.
IoT sensors are built into the physical entity or system to collect real-time data on different things like temperature, pressure, vibration, and performance metrics.
The data is then sent to the cloud, where it is processed and analysed using machine learning algorithms.
The insights gained from this analysis are used to update and refine the digital twin, so it always reflects the physical model accurately.
For instance, in a manufacturing setting, data from machinery is sent to the digital twin, enabling operators to monitor performance, spot inefficiencies, and predict potential breakdowns.
In Australia, companies like General Electric and Siemens have started using digital twins to make their production lines better.
They use simulations to cut down on design mistakes and make workflows more efficient.
Deloitte’s report says this tech can also be used for urban infrastructure, where digital twins can be used to model traffic flows and utilities to help with city planning.
Thanks to machine learning, digital twins can now do predictive maintenance, which means they can help us avoid reactive fixes and costly downtime.
Read more: Digital Twin Building Handbook: Components, How to Create, & Application
Industries Being Revolutionised by Digital Twins
The digital twin technology is a great way to drive innovation and performance without blowing the budget.
So, let’s see how digital twin technology is revolutionising industries below.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry has been quick to embrace digital twin technology, transforming the way products are designed, tested and brought to market.
The Deloitte report said that digital twins can cut product development time by up to 30%. Maserati used virtual modelling to optimize production, for example.
This efficiency comes from digital twins’ ability to simulate manufacturing processes.
This lets companies spot bottlenecks, optimize factory layouts and experiment with what-if scenarios without disrupting real-world production.
Here in Australia, manufacturers in sectors like automotive and food processing can catch up with global trends by adopting digital twins to boost productivity.
Factories using digital twin simulations have seen throughput improve by three times thanks to optimised robot positioning and real-time monitoring.
This level of efficiency has made digital twins an essential tool in the drive towards Industry, where data-driven decision-making is key.
Engineering
In engineering, digital twins are changing the way we design and maintain complex systems.
The digital twins keep a digital record of the whole engineering project, from start to finish.
This makes sure all the simulations are consistent and based on data.
By using sensor data and predictive analytics, engineers can see how systems will behave in different situations, which makes digital twins a great way to reduce downtime and make systems more reliable.
This has been a great help in sectors like oil and gas, where predictive maintenance powered by digital twins has reduced equipment downtime.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry is seeing some of the most exciting developments in digital twin technology, particularly in the area of personalised medicine.
As Manish Gupta said in “The Power of Clones: How Digital Twins Are Shaping the Future,” healthcare companies can now create digital twins of human organs to see how patients will respond to treatments.
For example, companies like ELEM Biotech are using digital twins of the human heart to predict outcomes for different cardiovascular treatments.
This could reduce the need for invasive procedures and early-stage clinical trials.
The Deloitte report says that digital twins can help create predictive care models, where doctors can see potential health risks and step in before things get worse.
With healthcare costs in Australia set to rise year on year, these new technologies could help make patient management more cost-effective.
Architecture
Another area where digital twin technology is making an impact is architecture, particularly in urban planning and sustainable design.
Digital twins let architects create highly accurate models of buildings and urban spaces, factoring in real-time data about things like environmental conditions, energy consumption, and structural integrity.
The Deloitte report shows how using digital twins for building performance assessment can cut energy use by up to 15%. This is thanks to more efficient design and real-time feedback loops.
In Australia, where sustainability is a big part of urban development, digital twins are being used more and more to model green buildings and smart cities.
The City of Melbourne is using digital twins to plan urban infrastructure projects, from public transport networks to flood management systems.
Aerospace and Defence
The aerospace and defence sectors were quick to jump on the digital twins bandwagon.
NASA was the first to come up with the concept in the early 2000s to simulate spacecraft.
Since then, digital twins have become a key part of the design and maintenance of complex systems like aircraft engines and military equipment.
General Electric (GE) uses digital twins for its aircraft engines. This means they can capture sensor data in real time, predict when components will wear out and schedule maintenance before failure occurs.
This proactive approach has saved airlines across the globe millions of dollars on maintenance costs.
For the defence force, digital twins are a great way to make things more ready to go and more efficient in how they operate.
With Australia’s defence budget on the up, there’s a push to integrate cutting-edge tech like digital twins to make asset management more efficient and support mission-critical operations.
Construction
The digital twins are a great way to make project planning, logistics, and on-site operations better.
Manish Gupta says construction firms use digital twins for things like real-time design reviews, space capacity evaluation, and even to simulate construction processes before the first brick is laid.
This means project timelines and budgets are more accurate, which reduces the chance of costly overruns.
Australia’s construction sector is booming, driven by large infrastructure projects, and it’s increasingly adopting digital twin technology to manage complex builds.
For instance, firms are using digital twins to keep tabs on construction progress, monitor safety protocols, and simulate the long-term impact of environmental conditions on materials.
With the global digital twin market for construction set to grow a lot, Australia is in a good position to benefit from its early adoption.
Energy and Utilities
The energy and utilities sectors are using digital twins to make their operations more efficient, cut down on downtime, and make better use of their resources.
The utility industries use digital twins to keep an eye on energy grids, simulate demand fluctuations, and plan maintenance.
In Australia, where energy infrastructure has to cope with extreme weather and ageing systems, digital twins help us to simulate these stresses and predict failures before they happen.
For example, digital twins are being used to model and manage renewable energy sources like wind farms. Sensor data is used to optimize turbine performance and predict maintenance needs.
With Australia’s renewable energy targets in focus, digital twins will be key to making sure green energy projects are reliable and efficient.
Challenges and Considerations
While there are some great benefits to digital twin technology, there are also some pretty big challenges to overcome.
The upfront costs of setting up IoT infrastructure and real-time analytics are high, which makes it difficult for smaller organisations to get started.
The other thing is getting all the data from different sources, keeping it safe and dealing with people’s worries about how it’s used in real time.
Also, as Manish Gupta points out, digital twins need a lot of computing power, data management infrastructure, and cross-departmental collaboration to reach their full potential.
We will need to make sure they have the tech and skills to implement these solutions effectively.
It’s also important to make sure the data is accurate. If there are any inconsistencies between the digital and physical entities, it could lead to poor decisions.
Read more: What are the Cost Implications of Adopting Digital Twins? Let’s Breakdown
How Digital Twin Technology is Revolutionising Industries: Best Practices
As you can see, digital twin technology has a big impact on the industry, but there are also some hurdles to overcome.
The thing is, these issues can often distract you from your main business goals. Also, we all know every project develops at its own pace.
That’s why we at BIM Scaler offer a service so you can work with digital twins more easily.
By connecting the physical and digital worlds through expert management of BIM data.
We use our experience in BIM modelling, auditing, and coordination to make sure your digital twin journey is as straightforward and productive as possible.
Our services make it simple to exchange data seamlessly, so you can create comprehensive digital twins for your project needs.
Plus, you can easily make real-time updates and scale up effortlessly with cloud computing integration, which is crucial when managing the vast data generated by digital twins.
Simply put, we’ve got you covered, but we’ll introduce them gradually, where they’ll give you the biggest return on your investment.
Ready to see how this all works in the real world? Take a look at what we do on our BIM Management Support page.
Or, even better, let’s grab lunch.
We’ll discuss your obstacles – no sales, no pressure – and see how we can make those digital dreams happen, one step at a time.
In Closing
The combination of digital twin technology with BIM is transforming industries around the world, and Australia is no exception.
While there are challenges like high initial investments and data management complexities, the benefits often outweigh the hurdles – especially when you have expert services that make it easier to get started.
As we keep on closing the gap between the physical and digital worlds, it’s obvious how digital twin technology is revolutionising industries.
