Houston, We Have a Solution: The Evolution of Digital Twins
Digital twin technology is credited for transforming tired business practices into modern enterprises through real-time insights. But before the IoT-integrated technology was driving production and innovation within businesses, it was saving the lives of NASA astronauts.
View of the severely damaged Apollo 13 Service Module, photographed from the Lunar Module/Command Module following SM jettisoning (April 17, 1970). Public Domain Dedication (CC0)
What is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object or system, replicating its characteristics, behaviors, and functionalities in a digital space. When integrated with AI and machine learning, these sophisticated models provide a real-time view and analysis of the physical counterpart, allowing for proactive monitoring, predictive maintenance, outcome simulation, and improved decision-making.
The Stellar Beginnings of Digital Twins
The earliest known use case of a digital twin comes from NASA in the 1960s, when engineers created a “living model” of the Apollo mission to address engine failure and save the lives of three astronauts aboard Apollo 13.
Even before Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell announced, “Houston we have a problem,” mission control had already detected something had gone awry from telemetry data.
Neither the crew nor mission control could see the damage caused by the explosion. Instead, the Houston-based flight directors had to rely on a continuous stream of data and multiple simulators to help identify, diagnose, and address failures in a physical asset that was more than 200,000 miles away.
“The simulators were some of the most complex technologies of the entire space program: the only real things in the simulation training were the crew, cockpit, and the mission control console, everything else was make-believe created by a bunch of computers, lots of formulas, and skilled technicians,” said Gene Kranz, NASA Chief Flight Director for Apollo 13.
Fred W. Haise Jr., Apollo 13 lunar module pilot, participates in simulation training in preparation for the scheduled lunar landing mission. Public Domain Dedication (CC0)
Before the launch, simulators were used for intensive training purposes, preparing astronauts and the earth-based technical team on responses to critical mission situations. During the explosion, real-time data from the failing craft was applied to the same simulators to reproduce the conditions and quickly determine and life-saving evacuation plan.
Digital Twins Today
NASA continues to create and employ digital models to understand and test exploration operations in extreme environments where it cannot rely on constant connectivity or on-demand human intervention.
Similarly, the use cases for digital twins are evolving to solve many problems here on earth in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, energy, and others. Across fields, digital twin technology is a driver of innovation, supporting research and development, efficiency, and resource management.
At Keyfive, technology experts develop digital twin solutions to meet the diverse needs of the energy industry. The digital twin technology is integrated within a connected device operating system known as Keyfive Strata. The system allows businesses to collect and process data in ways that provide past, present, and future operational insights. With access and understanding of real-time data, businesses can make more informed decisions, discover new revenue opportunities, and reduce outages and risk to expensive systems.