Digital twins: Living models of people, places, and things

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

Technology has a magical tendency toward transcending time and space. Photography was revolutionary because it let people see things they would have never been able to view in real life. Inventions such as the telephone and social media provide a sense of togetherness, a key human need, across physical distances. Visual tools like VR and the metaverse are experiential technologies that take the user to a digital world to shop, play, work, and learn.

Digital twin technology is one of the latest tools with metaphysical flair. It’s a real-time simulation of a person, place, or thing that sometimes uses AI, VR, IoT, and a number of other converging technologies to observe and modify something that isn’t physically present.

A digital twin is a specific high-resolution model that uses real-time data. As a virtual representation that often exists in the metaverse, digital twins are tools to anticipate and adjust outcomes. Current examples of digital twins include:

People: a celebrity, a customer, a medical patient, a family member

Places: nations of Tuvalu and South Korea, cities such as Helsinki and Orlando, planet Earth

Things: Buildings, a port, the grid, climate, oceans, the cardiovascular system, farms, a car

These are all good cases where digital twins are used to improve decision-making abilities, eliminate cognitive biases, get an unobstructed view of real-time data, and gain predictability in the systems that make up our world.

The distinguishing feature of digital twins tech is that there is mutual data exchange between the twin and whatever person, place, or thing it represents. The constant flow of data to and from a digital twin is what differentiates it from a traditional model or simulation. A key advantage of using digital twins is the sophisticated data points produced. Simply put, digital twins elevate the concept of a simulation from a monologue to a conversation, enabling real-time interplay between a digital and physical version of some person, place, or thing. The examples below show how digital twin technology is giving a strategic shape to the future.

I. People

It sounds sci-fi, but digital twins of real people exist. For example, DeepBrainAI is a company that creates digital twins of celebrities, news anchors, and athletes. Digital twins of real people are different from deep fakes, which also involve AI, but tend to be spoofs or pranks. A digital twin of someone would learn the mannerisms, speech, voice, and body language and serve as a stand-in that can simulate their twin’s unique personality.

But being famous isn’t required for having a digital twin. There’s something called a DToC, the digital twin of the customer, that gives marketers and brands the advantage of foresight. Companies are highly interested in being able to predict what customers want with the ample amounts of data our digital footprints provide. Digital twins are like focus group participants that never tire or grow bored.

Digital twins made high-profile debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) of 2023, particularly in the health domain. A French startup displayed its medical digital twin for patients, a tool to optimize surgical procedures. This personalized healthcare digital twin can give medical providers precise data on a particular patient undergoing a certain procedure. Having a digital twin means surgery can be rehearsed ahead of time to prevent negative or unexpected outcomes during the actual procedure.

Another CES exhibit suggested a role for digital twins in future mental and emotional health. A Korean firm called DeepBrain demonstrated a digital twin based on loved ones who have passed. The bereaved can reconnect with a deceased relative on a $1200 interactive video call with a digital twin based on images, video clips, and audio of the departed. Consolation for the grieving suits the zeitgeist of a post-pandemic future, and perhaps digital twins can help offer solutions for those in need of help.

II. Places

The Orlando, Florida area boasts a heavy concentration of AR, VR, and gaming companies so its embrace of a strategic rebrand as “metaverse city” is not surprising. The region is becoming a living example of a real-life “sim city” where real estate, infrastructure, and utilities form the layers of an urban digital twin. In real estate, digital twins provide virtual property tours and use data-driven scenarios to eliminate some of the uncertainties around choosing the perfect location.

Place-based digital twins could be important stepping stones to sustainability. One study says the world’s cities can decarbonize 15 years sooner than expected (by 2035) with the help of digital twins technology. Another report on digital twins in construction found they could help the industry reach energy savings of up to 50%. An ambitious project called Destination Earth, or DestinE, is producing twins of the planet Earth to support better understanding of natural systems. It will permit monitoring and predicting things like extreme weather and natural disasters. The digital twin model called Climate Change Adaptation Digital Twin is supposed to launch in 2025 and it will anticipate future climate conditions. The plan is to have a full digital replica of Earth by 2030. In the case of existential risks like climate change, an anticipatory or proactive approach is strategic and hopeful for humanity.

III. Things

A project is underway to figure out how to twin the intricate thing known as the human immune system. Preventative medicine would become the norm if doctors can accurately anticipate how and when an immune system would break down or show resilience against certain pathogens. Hundreds of researchers are working together to realize predictive immunology, which can be used to treat and prevent a range of diseases. The immune system overlaps all the other body systems, which is one reason that these studies are so cutting-edge. Digital twins will help us gain a better understanding of many complex things, the human body being just one. For example, it’s possible we could prepare for future pandemics with digital twin technologies, anticipating and curtailing specific encounters with now-dormant zoonotic pathogens that pose risks similar to COVID-19.

The energy grid is another complex thing amenable to digital twin technology. Not only can digital twins help predict demand and conserve resources, digital twins might also help implement and maintain renewables. And digital twins in general are ideal for handling the maintenance and retrofitting of aging infrastructure around the world. Digital twins of “things” work in the interest of keeping processes in good running order and preparing for many possible scenarios, making the future feel less uncertain.

The Advantage of Foresight 

Digital twins allow data to travel back and forth in a conversation-type format that can help improve decision-making abilities and eliminate cognitive biases.

Digital twins provide an unobstructed view of how something works and how to make adjustments for improvement.

Digital twins are being used to help meet sustainability goals and advance medical research.

Digital twins permit us to rehearse various future scenarios and behave proactively.