What do Siemens and NASA have in common?

Digital Twins, from space missions to the backbone of future smart factories.

Personal computers, GPS, mobile phones, digital cameras, the internet: many of the technologies that we take for granted in our lives today are older than we might think. They originate from concepts from the 1960s and 70s - an enormously creative, innovative period.?

Another innovation on everyone's mind is the digital twin which many scientists and engineers today describe as the backbone of a new industrial revolution.??A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object. This digital counterpart enables real-time monitoring, diagnostics and predictive maintenance, which significantly increases operational efficiency.?

And regardless of the forward-looking aspect of Digital Twin technology, it is worth noting that the initial idea of this technology has its origins in NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration space missions around 60 years ago.?

Physical models of NASA spacecrafts - the precursors of digital twins.?

Space missions were expensive and risky, so people preferred to simulate on safe ground what they would have to be prepared for in space. A simple idea was born, and this is still the key benefit of digital twins today. The term itself was only popularized late, in 2010 to be precise, by NASA′s Michael Grieves and John Vickers . Thereby marking its transition from a tool used in space exploration to an industrial revolution.?

The rise of the digital twin and the IoT??

If the digital twin is the backbone of the industry of the future, then data is the life blood f the digital twin. The more data, the more precise the digital representation and the more opportunities arise. IoT (Internet of Things) devices, which are being deployed everywhere in our world in exploding numbers, provide precisely this data, which is used intelligently for digital twins. According to Statista, there are already 15.9 billion IoT devices in use worldwide, and this figure is expected to more than double by 2033. Many of these are already being used in industrial plants and production facilities enabling engineers to simulate every aspect in the virtual environment, from the products themselves to the machines and entire production lines.?

Siemens drives the development forward since the early days?

In the 1970s, Siemens was already focusing on data processing technologies. In the 1980s, Siemens concentrated on machine learning, reinforcement learning, and neural networks in particular, which later served as an important foundation for IoT technologies. In 2012, Siemens collaborated with NASA on the Mars mission “Curiosity.” The company provided the software solutions that were used to develop, simulate, and test the Mars rover. And already in 2015, Siemens introduced the concept of the digital twin for industrial use at Hannover Messe and presented technologies for different branches of industry, including the process industries and machine building.?

Today's smart factories: just a foretaste of an exciting future.?

Today, the digital twin is at the heart of the much talked about Industry 4.0 – the culmination of the digitalization of industrial processes. Digital Twin technology that is not only relevant during ongoing operations, but from the very first minute an idea or business model is created. Today, a smart factory is first created as a digital twin and only much later in the real world. Precise simulations not only make it possible to avoid roadblocks and foresee dangers, but also to design all processes as efficiently as possible so that the factory of the future is not only productive, but above all highly sustainable.

And yet this is just the beginning: the combination of digital twin technology and AI will enable computers to independently design optimized products and processes and proactively support decision-makers in industry in their innovations and planning, operations and maintenance.??

Combining the real and the digital worlds?

Digital twins are a prime example of what it means to connect the real with the digital worlds and create a sustainable impact. And to all the technology lovers out there: It is important to understand that physical reality and the human being at its center will always be the point of reference. Digitalization, like AI, is never a purpose, but no more but also no less than a powerful enabler to transform the everyday for the better.?

Let’s take this mission!?

This newsletter was adapted from an article by Susanne Gold published on siemens.com