Page 6 - Enchiridion 4.0 program_EN

Strategic Partnerships for school education 2019-1-PL01-KA201-065137
Project: Teacher4.0 - comprehensive method of implementation of Industry 4.0
concept into didactic practice in primary and secondary schools

• gain the skills needed to teach pupils with the use of Digital Twin concept in the
classroom;
• they will be able to introduce elements Digital Twin concept their didactic
approaches.

Introduction

Presentation of use of Digital Twin concept in Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 relies very heavily on collecting and processing digital data. One specific – and very
important area which is strongly connected to data processing its so-called Digital Twin.

The first definition of the Digital Twin was proposed by the NASA as “an integrated multi-physics,
multi-scale, probabilistic simulation of a vehicle or system that uses the best available physical
models, sensor updates, fleet history, etc., to mirror the life of its flying twin. It is ultra-realistic
and may consider one or more important and interdependent vehicle systems”: this definition first
appeared in the draft and after in the final release of the NASA Modeling, Simulation, Information
Technology & Processing Roadmap in 2010.

In simple terms, it is entirely digital and exact replica of physical assets, products and processes. It’s
not just a copy or blueprint, because it is connected and changing. Main source of information is
typically significant number of sensors – Industrial IoT, but also engineers and designers, data from
production machines, testing machines and feedback from products itself, e.g. performance and
maintenance data from engines, turbines, etc. Area of application is very extensive and still widening.
Digital twins offer unique potential, e.g. offering predictable failure estimates, wear estimates, giving
at the same time feedback data to alert manufactures of e.g. component which wears faster than
estimates.

It is worth noting that Digital Twin is still emerging technology and many researchers have different
ideas what it should do, how to implement it and what areas are involved.

To date, the most commonly used definition of digital twin was proposed by Glaessegen and Stargel
in 2012: “Digital Twin means an integrated multiphysics, multiscale, probabilistic simulation of a
complex product, which functions to mirror the life of its corresponding twin”. Digital Twin consists
of three parts: physical product, virtual product and the linkage between physical and virtual product
(Glaessgen and Stargel2012).

In the research paper by Fei Tao, Fangyuan Sui, Ang Liu, Qinglin Qi, Meng Zhang, Boyang Song,Zirong
Guo, Stephen C.-Y. Lu & A. Y. C. Nee (2018): Digital twin-driven product design framework,
International Journal of Production Research, DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2018.1443229 – there are
several phases of building general functional Digital Twin for a product. It consists of three parts,
physical entities, virtual models and the connected data which links the two together.

This project has been funded with support from the European
Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any
use which may be made of the information contained therein.