What Is Digital Twin Technology - And Why Is It So Important?

 

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Origin

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While the concept of a digital twin has been around since 2002, it’s only thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) that it has become cost-effective to implement. And, it is imperative to business today.

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Quite simply, a digital twin is a virtual model of a process, product or service. This pairing of the virtual to physical world allows analysis of data and monitoring of systems to head off problems before they even occur, prevent downtime, develop new opportunities and even plan for the future by using simulations.

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Thomas Kaiser, SAP Senior Vice President of IoT, put it this way: “Digital twins are becoming a business imperative, covering the entire lifecycle of an asset or process and forming the foundation for connected products and services. Companies that fail to respond will be left behind.”

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How does a digital twin work?

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Think of a digital twin as a bridge between the physical and digital world.

 

First, smart components that use sensors to gather data about real-time status, working condition, or position are integrated with a physical item. The components are connected to a telemetry or cloud-based system that receives and processes all the data. This input is analyzed and simulated against business and other contextual data.

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Lessons are learned and opportunities are uncovered within the virtual environment that can be applied to the physical world — ultimately to transform your business.

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