Contents PREFACE 3 1. UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL TWINS 4 1.1 WHAT IS A DIGITAL TWIN? 1.2 WHERE DID DIGITAL TWINS COME FROM? 1.3 HOW DO DIGITAL TWINS WORK? 1.4 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL TWINS? 1.5 WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL TWINS? 2. DIGITAL TWINS OUTSIDE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 11 2.1 DIGITAL TWINS IN MANUFACTURING 2.2 DIGITAL TWINS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR 2.3 DIGITAL TWINS IN RETAIL 2.4 DIGITAL TWINS IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 2.5 DIGITAL TWINS IN HEALTHCARE 2.6 DIGITAL TWINS IN TRANSPORT 3. DIGITAL TWINS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 18 3.1 DIGITAL TWINS AND BUILDINGS 3.2 NATIONAL DIGITAL TWIN 3.3 GEMINI PRINCIPLES 3.4 FACILITIES MANAGERS AND ESTATE MANAGERS 3.5 BUILDING OPERATORS CONCLUSION 24 3 PREFACE Digital models are taking over the planet. Data is a tool that that has played a vital role in the world for decades. Going all the way back to World War II when Alan Turing created the ‘bombe’ in order to crack the enigma code. Now, we have an abundance of data being processed by our smartphones on a daily basis, providing us with information about transport and the weather amongst other things. With access to limitless data in every aspects of our lives, it’s about time that we really utilise that data to improve the world around us. Digital twins are unlocking that potential by visualising complex data and making it more accessible to the user than ever before. In this report, we’ll look at case studies from industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing to retail, to examine how the innovative use of digital twins is shifting the landscape of those sectors. There’ll also be an analysis of why digital twins are vital in today’s property and construction industries and how they can help us to save the planet. Pertinent questions that will also be answered include: What are digital twins? What are the benefits of digital twins? How can digital twins reduce our carbon emissions? Twinview is the first platform to power digital twins for the property sector. We believe that digital twins are capable of completely changing the way the industry operates and we’re excited to be leading that change. ROB CHARLTON ADAM WARD 1. Digital Twins Explained 5 1.1 WHAT IS A DIGITAL TWIN? A digital twin is a virtual model of a real, physical thing which simulates the state of its real-life counterpart. This model then provides value to the user through data visualisation and artificial intelligence which can optimise the performance of whatever the physical asset may be. 6 7 1.2 WHERE DID DIGITAL TWINS COME FROM? Digital Twins have been around for a while now but it’s only recently that the technology has started to be used across a range of industries. This is due to several factors, including: cheaper data storage, faster wireless networks and more cost effective sensors. Due to the high costs of the technology, digital twins were originally restricted to the aerospace and defence industries. However, companies today are already generating the data they need to build a digital twin. Sensors and data communication systems are now used in common appliances as well as cars and electronic devices. 8 1.3 HOW DO DIGITAL TWINS WORK? The Internet of Things (IoT) is what makes digital twins possible. IoT products are able to generate a high volume of complex data which can then be analysed by organisations to optimise their systems – but only if they have the necessary tools (i.e. a digital twin). Using a digital twin requires a large amount of data storage. Cloud storage is a cost-effective method of ensuring all of the necessary data is securely and reliably stored. The use of open standards and application programming interfaces (APIs) has revolutionised the way systems can exchange data by significantly streamlining the process. Artificial intelligence (AI) gives the digital twin its predictive powers. Using machine learning technology, digital twins can calculate the effect any change can have upon an asset. This also means that the systems can now assist with decision making as well as predict the outcome of future decisions. Augmented reality (AR) can be used to render fully interactive 3D environments. 9 10 1.4 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL TWINS? Digital Twins provide a wide range of benefits to the user. A major benefit of using digital twins is the ability to visualise data and the status of the physical asset. Digital twins’ troubleshooting capabilities can help to optimise performance for both current and future products. Those that have already adopted the use of digital twins commonly refer to the main benefits as the ability to make better decisions due to the access to supporting data and faster, more efficient business processes. As digital twins can automate certain tasks such as testing and reporting, it means that the teams working on a project are free to prioritise other tasks. 11 1.5 WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL TWINS? Cost has been a large obstacle in the widespread adoption of digital twins. Investment is required for maintenance and to develop models amongst other things. These costs are falling but there are alternative tools that are still less expensive to run. There is also a requirement for good quality data in order for the digital twin to be as effective as it possibly can be. This means that organisations must be able to identify bad data and replace it with better data. 2. Digital Twins Outside of the Built Environment 2.1 DIGITAL TWINS IN MANUFACTURING Because manufacturing is an industry so heavily reliant on the use of data, it makes sense that IOT sensors and digital twins are being used to improve operations in factories. Although factories were already using automated technologies and robots on their production lines, the ability to make improvements to a system’s efficiency and reliability make digital twins a real difference-maker. Baker Hughes manufacture equipment for the oil and gas industry from their plant in Nevada, USA. They’ve built a digital twin of the plant which contains data from machines within the plant as well as data on deliveries from their suppliers. The digital twin helps the Baker Hughes staff to identify and react quickly to any problems that may arise at the plant. This has helped to improve the efficiency of their delivery process, with the aim of eventually doubling the rate that materials flow through the plant. 14 2.2 DIGITAL TWINS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR Huge assets are needed to produce energy. Digital twins are now seen within the industry as the best way to manage these assets as they can improve an asset’s reliability while keeping operating costs down. Royal Dutch Shell are developing a digital twin of one of their existing offshore production platforms. The project, which will last for two years, will see the team develop new methods of managing the structural integrity of their asset. The data gathered by IoT sensors will then help the team to monitor the asset’s current and future condition. 15 2.3 DIGITAL TWINS IN RETAIL In contrast to the other examples given, digital twins in the retail and e-commerce sector tend to involve a large volume of smaller objects, rather than a small number of much larger assets. This means that those involved in the retail sector are trying to implement digital twins that are focused around tracking the flow of products through supply chains or gathering insights produced by multiple models. Store Electronic Systems are a retail technology company who develop digital twins of shops. These models are populated with data collected from electronic shelf labels which produce a virtual representation of the shop’s contents. The model can be updated in real-time through links to the store’s inventory and point-of-sale systems to show the amount of items in stock. This type of modelling also has a number of alternative potential uses – including an app that could guide shoppers within the store to the products they’re looking for. 16 2.4 DIGITAL TWINS IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS In the industrial sector, digital twins allow organisations to monitor products after the customer has purchased them. This therefore helps the business to significantly extend and improve their service. The use of digital twins also means that there are better maintenance strategies in place as well as the capability for remote diagnosis and repairs. Kaeser Kompressoren are Netherlands-based manufacturers of compressed air systems. Their digital twin will involve the entire sales and product lifecycle by acting as a repository system for data and documents which were produced at the specification and tendering sage of a new installation as well as the platform providing remote monitoring and predictive powers. 17 2.5 DIGITAL TWINS IN HEALTHCARE Researchers in the healthcare sector are looking at ways to use digital twin technology to model parts of the human body. These models would reduce the need for doctors to perform invasive tests and would allow complex operations to be practiced safely. Siemens Healthineers have developed their own digital twin model of the human heart. Models specific to individual patients can also be created by using machine- learning techniques and artificial intelligence. Siemen’s six-year digital twin project was focussed around creating digital twins of 100 heart failure patients with the eventual aim of digital twins being used to diagnose and treat patients. 18 2.6 DIGITAL TWINS IN TRANSPORT The transport industry boasts some of the world’s most ambitious digital twin projects. Rail transport firm Alstom have built a digital twin with the goal of simplifying train management on a specific line. The technology gives Alstom the details of every train in the fleet, their timetables and maintenance regimes as well as modelling the capacity at each depot. The real-time updates that the digital twin provides allows for the system to constantly adapt and accommodate urgent repairs. 3. Digital Twins in the Built Environment 20 3.1 DIGITAL TWINS AND BUILDINGS Digital Twins for buildings provide a wide range of possibilities. The twin’s predictive capabilities provide the ability to test the effect on a building that any changes would make – resulting in reduced operational costs and more efficient decision-making processes. Some of the most sophisticated digital twin technology can also troubleshoot and suggest solutions to problems with the building that may arise. During the production stage, digital twins have the capacity to allow for collaboration between different teams working on the same project.