Taking place the day after National Twin Day, Digital Twin Day on December 19th will celebrate a powerful new technology that offers revolutionary benefits in industry, healthcare, urban planning and more.
A digital twin is a virtual representation of something physical that needs to be measured and managed over its lifecycle. The physical thing being copied can be a bridge or a truck or even a manufacturing process. The classic example of a digital twin is an exact copy of a jet engine, which generates massive quantities of data as it operates. Connected sensors, using a related concept known as the Internet of Things (IoT), relay every aspect of the engine’s performance such as temperatures, stresses, vibration, air pressure, etc., and that performance can be simulated back on the twin.
So why not just celebrate “Simulation Day?” Perish the thought! Digital twins are more than a mere simulation. The critical difference is the live connectivity and two-way flow of data enabled by the IoT. The insights created by the physical object can be relayed back to it by its twin, improving the real world, in real time. Mistakes and failures can be prevented before they become catastrophic. That is certainly something worth celebrating!
Digital twins will improve our lives in the realms of:
- Manufacturing better products
- Improved outcomes in the hospital
- Safer transportation
- Cleaner environment
- More efficient government
The best part about Digital Twins Day is that you don’t need to be a twin, or even know one, to celebrate. Everyone can observe Digital Twin Day every December 19th, just before the height of the holidays. Take a moment on Digital Twins Day to imagine what it would be like to have such a twin for yourself, letting you improve and correct mistakes before they ever happened. Two adult beverages are also recommended by some celebrants, but that’s up to you. Regardless of how you celebrate, the improvements brought out by Digital Twins will impact us all for the better.
References:
Cheat sheet: What is Digital Twin?
ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/iot-cheat-sheet-digital-twin/
Digital Twin | Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_twin
What is Digital Twin?
twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-digital-twin
Zombies of Things 