The concept of the Digital Twin continues to receive a mixed reception when it is raised in conversation. There are a multitude of factors that have given rise to this ‘love-hate’ relationship, ranging from conceptual stretching to mis-selling, to conflation and a certain amount of dissonance between vendors, users and consultants. Underlying all these factors is a common theme, a fundamental lack of understanding!
To address this lack of understanding and to refresh the understanding of those who believe they are well versed in all things digital and twinning, we have decided to compile a repository of our work on Digital Twins from the last 8 or so years. The series covers the fundamentals (basics) and the journey from the definitions of what is and what is not a Digital Twin to technical approaches for cost modelling of a Digital Twin project and methods for appraising and quantifying the benefits.
This first blog sets the scene for the series and presents extracts from a talk given to an international audience by Prof Hicks three years ago. Many of you might ask yourself whether anything has changed since?
If you are pressed for time, we would suggest starting with part 2 and then part 3.
| Part | Title | YouTube link | Duration |
| Part 1 | Introduction to truth, lies and Digital Twins | https://youtu.be/Byon8eEEL8g?si=wtL1HZqK7W1e-eLc | 2:09 |
| Part 2 | Imposters and established Digital Twins | https://youtu.be/tE42cWpJ66k?si=aWOmqlLlWb2pM50W | 7:22 |
| Part 3 | The truth about Digital Twins and the Digital Dystopia | https://youtu.be/oFFzmBd1Rd4?si=k3wK29OEalMthjCz | 7:43 |
| Part 4 | The nuts and bolts of a Digital Twin and the enabling technologies: | https://youtu.be/BVDk-QTdo4Q?si=MARv11M5mmdaWX0n | 4:37 |
| Part 5 | The Digital Twin as a system | https://youtu.be/YDd6Sep5ThM?si=ZEt-rUhYQeebI30P | 4:03 |
| Part 6 | The future of the Digital Twin | https://youtu.be/-zLRha7I77I?si=Y6WR_MOpISXtxuts | 8:19 |
| Part 7 | Bibliography | https://youtu.be/3AZcEZnDXAY?si=wgX-YAfJGHyekedj | 0:19 |
We hope that you enjoy the talk and please get in contact with the team if you would like to know more and/or work with us.
Watch out for our second blog that will cover the ‘definitions dilemma’ – providing detailed, unambiguous definitions of all things digital that relate in part, or full, to Digital Twins.
Contact: Ben Hicks, James Gopsill, Robert Wragge-Morley or Adam McClenaghan