“Digital twins” are virtual replicas of objects, places or processes; they use data and AI to copy the real object, thus facilitating the simulation of scenarios to improve products, optimize operations and reduce costs. The engineers of General Electric were among the first to use digital twins; while trying to solve the problem of a turbine that was malfunctioning, someone had the idea of creating a digital representation to identify the component responsible for the defect, so it was possible to substitute the defective part without having to dismantle the entire engine.
Digital twins are being used increasingly in various fields, ranging from Industry 4.0 to healthcare, utilities, building maintenance, fashion, to automatic vehicles and smart assistants.