Empowering Autonomy Through Digital Twins
At the end of the day, Digital Twin has the potential to revolutionise various industries by enabling autonomous “things”. Digital Twins can bring autonomy to these entities, whether it’s buildings, cars, manufacturing plants, ships, aeroplanes, warehouses, or telecom towers. To make prompt reactions just like humans do, Digital Twins rely on receiving real-time inputs and sensor data to generate appropriate actions.
For example, the manufacturing facility system would benefit from receiving alerts in the event of machinery malfunctions or the need for ingredient adjustments based on AI calculations. In response, the Digital Twin could automatically adjust production parameters, reorder supplies, or even schedule maintenance tasks to optimise efficiency and prevent costly disruptions. This proactive approach to problem-solving, facilitated by Digital Twins, not only streamlines operations but also enhances overall reliability and resilience within the industrial ecosystem.
This is where the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes essential. IoT devices are able to collect, transform, and transmit live data and build a wider network of connected things to communicate with either a centralised system or decentralised connected entities.
Edge Computing and Cloud Computing: Cognitive Centres of Digital Twins
Edge computing and cloud computing are important components of the digital twin system, functioning as its cognitive centres. While both are crucial, their roles differ significantly, especially in scenarios where latency is a critical factor, such as in healthcare services or Formula One racing. In such cases, edge computing proves invaluable by enabling swift decision-making without waiting for instructions from far away (cloud or on-premises data centre). Unlike many applications that upload, transform, and analyse data in the centralised cloud servers, Edge computing allows the execution of instances and logic at the location where the data is generated and captured.
A great example here is the voice assistants like Siri. Within our mobile devices, a dedicated chip continually monitors for trigger phrases such as “Hey Siri,” swiftly activating the cloud computing functionality upon detection. Everything we say to Siri will be sent to the cloud and the cloud will send the response back. This dedicated chip’s purpose is to expedite the response process, conserving bandwidth and ensuring rapid interaction. Notably, the computational demands for processing a single sentence’s voice recognition are minimal, underscoring the efficiency of this edge-cloud collaboration.
Synergy of IoT, Edge Computing, and Digital Threads in Autonomous Systems
Therefore, IoT and Edge computing are complementary techniques that unlock the potential of autonomous systems. IoT serves as the means to collect data, much like the human senses, while Edge computing facilitates the generation of responses, similar to the human brain.
Just as the human body’s circulatory system interconnects diverse physiological functions, Digital Threads also play a crucial role in integrating heterogeneous data streams from both physical and digital realms throughout the lifecycle of the physical world or asset.
But where does the Digital Twin fit into this analogy? Well, the Digital Twin acts as the “body,” the “backbone,” and the “omniscient brain” of the autonomous thing. It embodies the system, workflow, or asset via various visualisation tools (e.g., 2d, 3d, process flow, etc), serving as a comprehensive platform for data processing, analysis, and the execution of various services to address business problems.
