Digital twins are becoming both more sophisticated and more widely adopted by companies, utilities and governments, according to (subscription).

How they work: If you鈥檙e not familiar with digital twins, they are virtual replicas of real-world assets, whether equipment or facilities, that operators can both experiment with and use to adjust the physical structures in real time.
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What鈥檚 new: In the past five years, the interest in digital twins has skyrocketed among companies in all sectors, according to the Journal.

• Firms 鈥渁re looking at the technology to help them improve processes, reduce costs, conserve resources, boost employee safety and productivity, or some combination of these possibilities, says Alfonso Velosa, a vice president analyst at Gartner.鈥�
• 鈥淟ast year, 17% of organizations in a Gartner survey said they have or plan to deploy digital twins.鈥�

Getting better: The technology has gotten much more advanced, too. Not only do today鈥檚 digital twins use sophisticated sensors to produce real-time data, but many now use artificial intelligence to make better use of that data and improve their predictions.

• These new and improved twins 鈥渃an eliminate the need for physical prototyping of products such as automobiles, and offer a way to test different configurations for spaces such as warehouses and stores, potentially saving time and money.鈥�

Everybody鈥檚 got one: Digital twins are popping up everywhere, from San Francisco International Airport, which created a 鈥渃entralized鈥� digital twin in 2014, to Lowe鈥檚 department stores.听

• 鈥淚n one instance [at the airport], when a construction worker hit a water line at a job site, the plumbing team used the digital twin to direct the construction crew to the shut-off valve within minutes, limiting the damage and avoiding a costly delay, according to [Geoff] Neumayr [the chief resiliency and sustainability officer].鈥�
• Meanwhile, 鈥渉ome-improvement retailer听Lowe鈥檚听Cos. is听using the technology听at a handful of stores to explore the impact of different store layouts, and to give associates insight into inventory stored in hard-to-reach places.鈥�

Thinking bigger: Soon, every place you go may have a digital twin humming along with it.

• 鈥淎 collection of digital twins representing everything from stadiums to freeways to public parks has the potential to change the way governments build cities and provide services, experts say.鈥�

Learn more: The helps manufacturers with all phases of technological advancement, including deploying digital twins.

• Check out on how digital twins will enhance the 鈥渇actories of the future鈥� and on how to figure out whether digital twinning is right for your business.听