While the term sounds like something out of a bad science fiction novel,

“digital twins” are revolutionizing the ways that businesses use artificial intelligence, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). So what is a digital twin exactly, and why should they be an essential part of your IoT projects?

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Simply put, a digital twin is a virtual replica that is intended to imitate

the real-world behavior of a physical object or system. Companies have used digital twins to model everything from aircraft engines to apartment buildings.

Digital twin technology has applications in many different domains: engineering, manufacturing, transportation, construction, energy, and more. Any time that you want to understand the real-world behavior of a device or product, building a digital twin can help.

When designing a car, for example, engineers have a set of preconceptions and expectations about how the vehicle will act under certain conditions. During the car’s operation, sensors and devices are used to collect measurements and data and send them back to the company for analysis. This information can then be compared with the output from the digital twin to determine whether the car is still behaving in line with the way it was designed.

In addition to diagnosing vehicle maintenance issues, digital twins can

be applied to rocket ships, washing machines, electrical grids, and more. Creating a digital twin of an object or system is a good idea whenever

you need to make predictions about its behavior or determine why it’s experiencing problems.

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