Digital Twin – concepts and application possibilities

The two-day workshop was held as part of the Q-NNECT project that is sponsored and financed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). A workshop on the topic of the Digital Twin was in store for the participants with theoretical and practical parts to show the potential of the Digital Twin.

Contents of the workshop

The first day of the workshop focused on the theory of the Digital Twin. At the beginning, there was a lively discussion about the benefits of the method. During the discussion, it became clear that a clear description of the problem was necessary to implement the Digital Twin and utilize it in a meaningful way to create added value. The second half of the day was about simple implementations with the help of sensors and microprocessors integrated into a smartphone. In a very short time, the participants were able to implement simple assemblies to collect data that represents the first step in implementing a Digital Twin.

The second item was characterized by examples of Digital Twins that have already been utilized. A wind turbine was used to show the benefits of the Digital Twin in the area of maintenance, and the benefits were discussed with the participants. Platforms for implementing Digital Twins were another item of the workshop. After a final discussion on the added value of the Digital Twin, the participants visited the technical laboratories of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol to get an overview of the potential of the university of applied sciences in Kufstein.

Findings of the workshop

The workshop showed the participants the opportunities that come from utilizing the Digital Twin. The potential of the method and the necessary prerequisites were talked about in a critical, mutual discussion. It became clear that the local industrial sector is competitive in the area of digitization and open to meaningful applications of new technologies to strengthen Austrian businesses in the long term