Um digital twin, digital twin in Portuguese, is a real-time updated virtual representation of a real physical object, process or system that serves as a digital counterpart to be used for practical reasons such as monitoring, simulation, testing and maintenance. In other words the digital twin is a digital model of some physical object (or process or system) connected to the real world in a way that mirrors the state of the physical object in real time. To this end, the object under study is equipped with several sensors allocated in vital areas of functionality in order to produce data on different aspects of the performance of the physical object, such as temperature, pressure, energy expenditure and others. This data is processed by a system that updates the digital copy. The technology of digital twin, therefore, consists of three parts: the physical object, the virtual/digital object, and the connection between the two objects.
digital twin it is a technology that combines many others in a single system. Through the understanding of all parameters and interactions relevant to the object, process or system studied, a virtual model (Virtual Reality ) is created in order to have a digital representation of the physical twin. These parameters are updated in real time using sensors. As we are talking about several sensors spread across the object, we are fundamentally relying on the internet of things (Internet-of-Things – IoT) so that this information is transmitted in real time without the need for everything to be connected by wires. This data collected and transmitted in real time is then preferably stored on a cloud platform (cloud platforms).
The combination of the different states of each parameter monitored by the sensors, in addition to other forms of connection and data capture, creates an infinity of possible future scenarios through simulation (Digital). Optimization technology unlocks the potential of digital twin to be able to recommend the optimal actions given the possibilities of simulated future scenarios. Through artificial intelligence technology (Artificial Intelligence), Or digital twin it is capable of learning from the immense amount of monitored data to better predict the probabilities of future scenarios.
Finally, the visualization technologies layer (display), 3d modeling (3d modeling) and augmented reality (Augmented Reality) facilitate interaction and communication between the digital twin and physical twin, which is essential for receiving scenario forecasts and action recommendations from the digital twin.
Figure 1: Digital Twin enablers. Source: MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation (digitalsc.mit.edu)
Many companies have been applying the technology in different areas. However, the technology digital twin is still quite incipient in Supply Chain. A few years ago, DHL launched a technology-enabled warehouse digital twin in Asia. Through sensors, all employees and equipment are monitored in real time. The technology enables numerous operational and security benefits, such as efficiency gains with reduced congestion, improved resource planning, workload allocation, live site access monitoring, real-time monitoring of temperature systems, full visibility of traffic to optimize movement, improve the performance of the operational team and reduce the potential risk of collision.
Figure 2: Warehouse represented virtually through digital twin. Source: DHL
A visionary example of the usability of technology would be a digital twin of an entire supply chain. The advancement of technology and the need to optimize resources and processes can make this vision a reality in the future.
Figure 3: digital twin logistics as a model of the entire supply chain. Source: DHL
According to research Application of Supply Chain Technologies in Brazil carried out by ILOS and presented in October 2022, only 11% of large Brazilian companies use the technology of Digital Twins. The biggest use of the technology is for prototyping new facilities. This same survey shows, however, a growing trend in the use of technology by pointing out that 68% of the interviewed companies intend to increase investment in Digital Twins.
References:
MIT – Digital Supply Chain Transformation
ILOS - Research on the Use of Technology in the Supply Chain in Brazil (2022)
This article was published in Technology on 10/11/2022
