AI upgrades the digital twin
The concept of the digital twin is a familiar one, but the accelerated learning and repeatability
offered by artificial intelligence raises its profile. By Alex Brinkley
Virtual representations
and simulated models of
manufacturing models – or
digital twins – were first proposed by
Dr Michael Grieves at the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers conference
in 2002. It was based on the idea
that a “digital informational construct
about a physical system could be
created as an entity on its own. This
digital information would be a twin of
the information that was embedded
within the physical system itself and
be linked with that physical system
through the entire lifecycle of the
system”.
As factories adopt the internet of
things (IoT), combined with conditionbased
machine to machine (M2M)
devices for monitoring and tracking
machinery and operations, digital
twins are becoming commonplace.
Analyst firm, Gartner predicts that
by 2022, over two thirds of companies
that have implemented IoT will have
deployed at least one digital twin in
production.
5G advances
At this year’s Hannover Messe, Ericsson
and industrial automation company,
Comau, demonstrated a digital twin,
enabled by 5G connectivity. The
demonstration featured a digitised
version of an assembly line in an
automotive plant. Using 5G connectivity
to collect data from sensors on machine
and processes, parameters such as
vibration, temperature and pressure
were displayed on a digital dashboard
on a standard tablet. The data could
be used to identify interruptions and
operations that could potentially slow
down the operation.
At the time, Ericsson advocated
the use of 5G connectivity to collect
a “stable, continuous and massive
flow of data in real time, which is
vital of automation processes”. The
low latency rate means that data can
be displayed as visual outputs and
data analysis can predict faults and
malfunctions and identify component
parts to be replaced or repaired.
Digitally interconnected equipment
delivers real-time production data
where and when it is needed,
explained Maurisio Cremonini, Head
of Marketing and Digital Initiatives
Platform, at Comau.
“Digitised analytics provide
customers with a wealth of information
that is made available locally and
remotely,” he said. He believes 5G
will enable a digital transformation
within industry 4.0, “specifically for low
latency, bandwidth and plug and play
connectivity of factory equipment,”
added Cremonini.
Companies like General Electric
used simulations and physics to try
and predict what a machine is doing,
but over time this has changed. “It’s
Above: Using 5G
connectivity, data
can be collected
and displayed on a
digital dashboard on
a standard tablet
literally digital,” said Andrew Cresci,
Industrial Business Development
Manager, NVIDIA, “relying on
measured data and sensors”.
Accurately tracking and gathering
data for long periods of time, gives
operators the ability to understand
performance and predict the
future. “This is the crux of artificial
intelligence AI,” said Cresci.
Introducing AI
AI brings repeatability to the digital
twin, said Cresci. NVIDIA has worked
with Bosch to develop predictive
maintenance in domestic boilers, which
send a text to the owner if the pressure
drops, or if the temperature rises
above pre-set limits. To accommodate
the hundreds of boiler types in the
company’s range, an AI mini-digital twin
was created, using the same algorithm
and the same neural network so that it
could be trained to learn for itself. This
way, the digital twin could be replicated
across the range of boilers.
“The beauty of a digital twin is that
once you have got your mind around
20 10 September 2019 www.newelectronics.co.uk
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