Hybrid Digital Twins: Evolving from Product Development into Operational Efficiency

The digital twin concept is not really new. In fact, one could argue that it has been around since the early days of the NASA Apollo space program. However, with the introduction of Industry 4.0 and IIoT technologies over the past decade, the scope of user applications has broadened significantly.

Digital twin has been getting a high degree of press over the past 2 to 3 years. The buzz started in discrete manufacturing, but is now everywhere, because the concept makes compelling business sense in many domains including factories; processing plants; smart, connected products; aerospace; defense; energy; and other industries.