Five ways digital twins are changing the world

A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical object. That might mean a machine, a city, a community, a building or – as you’ll see below – an entire country.

One of the key benefits of a digital twin is that it allows for experimentation in the virtual space without making lasting changes to the physical object being modelled. For example, vehicle manufacturers can test the aerodynamic properties of different versions of body design without needing to create physical versions of those designs to put in a wind tunnel.

Another benefit of digital twins is the wealth of data they make available. A digital twin allows variables to be modified in the virtual space and data collected on what the resulting output would be. For example, a bike lane can be added to a road in the digital twin of a neighbourhood, and data collected on what impact that bike lane has on traffic flow, emissions, journey efficiency and noise pollution. Multiply that amount of data by the number of permutations inputted to the model (such as bike lane location and width) and you have available an almost infinite trove of data to help inform decisions in the real world.

Here are five inspiring ways that digital twins are being leveraged across a multitude of sectors and cultural spaces.

1. Revolutionising city planning.

A supercomputer inside a 19th century church is helping city planners in Barcelona to optimise their decisions based on real data.

The computer runs a digital twin of the city where planners can trial run potential projects as the city strives towards becoming a ’15 minute city’.

“Instead of implementing flawed policies and then have to go back and correct them, we’re saving time by making sure those decisions are right before we execute them,” says Barcelona Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet, who is in charge of the city’s digital transition, climate goals and international partnerships.

2. ‘Preserving’ places lost to rising sea levels.

The island nation of Tuvalu is forecast to be entirely under water by the end of the century as a result of global heating.

Authorities are aiming to create a digital twin of the country, in a move which would make it the world’s first ‘digital nation’. The project is part of wider efforts to ensure that Tuvalu continues to be recognised internationally as a state, and that its maritime boundaries and resources are maintained even if submerged.

“Our land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of our people and to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world, we will move them to the cloud,” said the country’s
Foreign Minister Simon Kofe at COP27.

3. Shaking up manufacturing.

Renault Group have announced their use of digital twins to make the manufacturing process more efficient and adhere to regulatory requirements.

The company website states: “With their three-dimensional digital simulation tools, engineers can even place a virtual occupant inside the future vehicle early on in the process, just as they would in a physical car. These tests help assess certain constraints, such as positioning (ergonomics) and HMI (human-machine interface).”

4. Enhancing risk analysis.

Intelligent AI, based in Exeter, are leveraging the power of digital twins to help property owners identify, measure, predict and mitigate risks in real-time.

The company uses a wide range of data including survey reports, natural catastrophe data, 3D mapping, satellite imagery and more to create “a 360-degree digital twin view of risks for every location and its surrounding area.”

5. Enhancing sustainability.

The team at digiLab, also based in Exeter, are building digital twin software for sustainability across a range of industries.

From electric aircraft to reducing the chemical treatment of rivers, the company’s self-optimising machine learning platform transforms decision efficiency and sustainability in safety-critical applications.