Digital twins are digital “copies” of physical objects, processes or interacting humans which semi-autonomously maintain their likeness through the application of cyber-physical systems. A significant topic in both scientific literature and real world application over the last several years, digital twins are a critical component in industrial automation; designed to be combined with AI, optimisation and computational modelling technologies in order to decentralise decision making, improve forecasting and automate diagnosis, planning and control processes. Alongside recent improvements in sensing and cyber-physical technologies, mixed reality technologies are a significant driver behind the push to implement digital twins. Mixed reality technologies allow the outputs of digital twins to be visualised interactively alongside their physical counterpart within the operating environment.
Digital twins and mixed reality technologies are applicable to a wide range of industry domains, from manufacturing through to mining, agriculture, sports engineering and planning / environment, with usage scenarios that include automated defect detection, production line optimisation, safe equipment handling for personnel, safe human/robot interaction, automated inventory management, automated tool tracking and auditing, waste product reduction and autonomous material handling. A growing number of organisations, particularly those in the IoT space, have implemented or are beginning to implement digital twins in some form in parts of their businesses, however, achieving their full potential may require the large-scale integration of digital twins across organisational ecosystems.
This session will explore current and in-development applications of digital twin and mixed reality technologies, with the aim of provoking discussion about the state of their adoption in Australian industry, and how this measures up against historical expectations.
Key topics: Digital twins, Mixed reality, Case studies