DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING
WHITE PAPER / VERSION 2.0.0 / OCTOBER 31, 2019
CONTENTS
04 Introduction
05 The Digital Twin Computing Concept
05 Existing Digital Twins (“Reproductions”) and Issues
06 Digital Twin Computing Characteristics
07 Creation of Virtual Societies
08 Derivative Digital Twins Operations (Exchange, Fusion, Replication)
10 Human Digital Twins
12 The Architecture of Digital Twin Computing
14 Use Cases with Human Digital Twins
16 Use Cases with Digital Twins of Objects
18 The Future Outlook
22 About the DTC Innovation Forum INTRODUCTION
Surrounded by high levels of advanced technologies, our rich modern society has been achieved through continued cooperation among many people specializing in a diversity of fields. Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which connects distant strangers all over the world and enables the transmission of various digitized data, has greatly expanded the world and made it possible for many people to cooperate with each other. In recent years, the use of ICT for collecting vast amounts of data on people and objects and quickly reflecting the results of analysis of this data in the real world has not only made human behaviors and social systems more efficient, but has also led us into an era where human capabilities themselves can be expanded using artificial intelligence and biotechnology. This paper sets down the “Digital Twin Computing Vision” - a vision that entails the use of high precision digital representations of humans and objects called “digital twins” to create diverse worlds in cyberspace that will exceed the limitations of the real-world. In this vision, the value obtained through advanced computations and communications using these digital twins in cyberspace reflected back into the real world and enables collaboration among humans with expanded capabilities in cyberspace to achieve new digital societies.
04 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING The Digital Twin Computing Concept
The first part of this chapter briefly describes the current state of, and issues with existing digital twins. This chapter then presents the features and architecture of the digital twin computing (DTC) set out in this paper through comparison with existing digital twins.
Existing Digital Twins (“Reproductions”) and Issues
Digital twins that link the real world objects for specific purposes. different types of digital twins across with cyberspace have been brought Examples of digital twin usage with various industries. For example, about with advancements in ICT, and objects include digital twins of entire supply chains including are gaining attention. A digital twin is production machines for monitoring production lines or entire factories an accurate cyberspace operational conditions, or digital and logistics could be reproduced representation of the shape, state twins of aircraft engines for starting with individual production and function of a real-world object predicting malfunctions and machines, or entire cities could be such as a production machine in a maintenance, etc. Examples of reproduced by combining buildings, factory, aircraft engine or digital twin usage with humans roads, cars and citizens. However, automobile. Digital twins enable include billing services based on since current digital twins are analysis of current states, future personal usage data or healthcare created and used for specific predictions and simulations of services such as illness prediction purposes, it is difficult to combine possibilities of objects in using personal health data. Each various digital twins and get them to cyberspace. Based on the digital twin represents a real-world interact. computation results and by object with the accuracy and range In addition, currently human digital leveraging the versatility of ICT in required for its use within an twins mainly involve anatomical and cyberspace, digital twins also application. Computations and physiological data for medical and enables feedback to the real-world to operations such as analyses and health purposes, and are only enable intelligent control of real simulations are performed in reproductions of humans as objects. world objects for instance. As well as cyberspace with methods aligned This also makes it difficult to achieve objects, human medical imaging data with the purpose of the digital twins. domains in which reproduction even of such as MRI and CT images used in Going forward, advances to digital human internalities is required, such the medical field are also considered twins of various real-world objects as communications or high-precision as forms of existing digital twins. will lead to higher demands for simulations of social life. Currently, the digital twin concept is large-scale simulations entailing the focused on reproducing real-world interaction and combination of
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 05 Digital Twin Computing Characteristics
Until now, the digital twin framework digital twins, and will enable new has entailed mapping real-world interactions in cyberspace, including objects into cyberspace to perform the interaction of human internalities, analysis and predictions, with the which will go beyond physical results of those analyses and reproductions of the real world. C predictions used after reverse Through digital twin operations, mapping them back into the real world. which will be described later, we aim The concept of “Digital Twin to create simulations in cyberspace H Computing (DTC)” we are aiming for that will surpass the “reproductions” is a significant advancement on the of the real world, and that could even existing concept of digital twins - it is have conditions that are different
A a new computing paradigm that will from the real world, and then use enable previously impossible new, them in the real space. A feature of large-scale, high-precision real-world DTC, “digital twin operations”
R reproductions by performing various executed on digital twins, are operations to freely combine various described below. A
Digital twin operations will offer standardized methods for large-scale and complex interactions between digital twins to enable the creation of virtual
C societies by freely combining various digital twins and using them for analysis and prediction.
T By duplicating digital twins of an instance in the real world and placing them in cyberspace, or exchanging or fusing some components between different digital twins, digital twin operations enable the creation of never-before-seen
E human/object digital twins and allow direct interaction beyond physical laws. Differing from reproduction that originates in the real world, this is the creation of virtual societies in cyberspace that transcend the real world. R
Another challenge is that of I reproducing human internalities, which will be a major feature of DTC. S
We believe that expressing the internalities of humans such as consciousness T and thinking in addition to their outward appearance will enable sophisticated interactions with social aspects such as human behaviors and communications. Also, expressing the individuality of each human will enable I interactions based on diverse individual characteristics rather than interactions between characterless entities statistically rounded off as averages. C
S These characteristics will make it human potential and enable the possible to create virtual societies in creation of innovative and which various humans and objects never-before-seen services for can engage in high-level interactions decision-making and social design to that go beyond the limitations of the solve various social issues such as real world. Developing opportunities sustainable development goals for human activity even in virtual (SDGs) (Figure 1). societies in cyberspace will expand
0006 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING Policy Making
Creation of Virtual Societies
DTC does not use digital twins for virtual societies. could be created in a virtual society limited purposes, but creates a whole The purposeC of DTCR is not onlyE to Afor a Tlarge andI physicallyO unthinkableN world by positioning a wide range of digitize reality unaltered with number of people to hold digital twins in cyberspace. Hence, conventional digital twins, but also to discussions, or virtual worlds with we define digital twins that can be create worlds that do not exist. For physical properties such as the expressed in a unified format that this reason, in DTC, virtual societies gravity of the moon or the buoyancy transcends the differences between with environmental conditions set for of the sea could be created and types of people, objects or industries. a purpose can be created, and cities designed therein. This will This will make it possible to operate various digital twins, including those enable digital twins of humans and digital twins that are interacting with that do not exist in the real world, objects to operate under various various other types of digital twins can be positioned in such virtual environmental conditions so that that previously could not be easily societies to enable trials and their behavior can be understood. used in combination, which will controls in nonexistent worlds. For enable the creation of complex example, a vast conference room
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 07 DERIVED Derivative Digital Twins Created by Operations (Exchange, Fusion, Replication)
With DTC, it will be possible to operations. Data may include values information could include whether create digital twins that have for the shapes or conditions of mechanical parts can be opened or properties and performance objects or humans obtained by closed, vehicle driving conditions or capabilities that do not exist in the observation or estimation. For human personal values and real world, by performing operations example, the data could include capabilities. New digital twins can be on components between digital twins. angles between parts, rpm, human created by performing operations on These digital twins are called body temperature, images being these components. There are three “derivative digital twins”. observed, and emotions and memory. types of component operations Data and models are the types of A model is information needed for between the digital twins - digital twin components that can be reproducing functions of objects or “exchange”, “fusion” and “replication” subjected to computational humans. For example, this (Figure 2).
Exchange: Fusion: Replication:
Transferring some or all data and Combining and updating some or Copying a digital twin itself. models between digital twins. all data and models between Replication makes it possible to For example, a digital twin digital twins to create derivative increase the number of instances could be given a communication digital twins of objects or of a digital twin so the same capability beyond reality by humans. This will enable the digital twin can be used in changing its foreign language creation of derivative digital different virtual societies. conversation models and twins fused from digital twins Combining these derivative vocabulary data. from different times and spaces, digital twins to create virtual or enable expanded capabilities societies will realize interactions by superimposing different of humans and objects beyond humans and objects. the real world.
08 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING DERIVED
EXCHANGE, FUSION, DUPLICATION
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 09 HHuman DUigital TwiMns AN Human digital twins in DTC make it actions of other digital twins in interactions based on social aspects possible to expand the scope of cyberspace as if it were the actual and diversity will enable precise human activity from the real world to person. By giving the digital twin analysis and prediction with cyberspace. You could interact with autonomy in the virtual society, it consideration given to include even all kinds of digital twins in enables the digital twin to attempt to the individuality of the human. Also, cyberspace through your own digital influence other digital twins. as shown in the use case in Chapter twin, and results of those interaction There are two aspects to human 3, you could create a powerful could also be fed back to yourself in digital twins in DTC. First, a human personal agent by making a copy of the real world to acquire the digital twin is an interface that yourself work on your behalf. experiences gained from cyberspace enables your real-world self to Furthermore, your derivative digital activities in the same way as interact with various digital twins in twin could become independent of acquiring experiences in the real cyberspace. An interface to convey your real-world self and feedback the world (Figure 3). such cyberspace experiences to your activities it performs in virtual society Human digital twins in DTC are not real-world self could be enabled and the experiences it gains so that only digital representations of the through virtual reality (VR), these activities and experiences outward appearance of humans such augmented reality (AR), mixed reality become your own (Figure 4). as physical and physiological (MR) or brain-machine interface Human digital twins that represent characteristics, but are also (BMI) devices. As well as even the individuality of humans will representations of human experiencing cyberspace in a form enable self-understanding and internalities. A human digital twin adapted to your own perceptual discovery through dialogue with past consists of data that represents characteristics, you could also and future selves, or use of the real-world and cyberspace human expand yourself as a derivative knowledge and experience gained conditions and behaviors (e.g., digital twin by incorporating the through interactions with humans physiological information such as capabilities of others through the that don’t actually exist such as the pulse, psychological behavior DTC characteristic operations of deceased. Digital twin computing will information such as speech, attitude exchange and fusion to further your also enable advanced and emotions, physical movement capabilities (for example language human-to-human interactions information such as bodily movements skills), which you could then never-before-realized such as deep and actions, information about the demonstrate in the real world through communications or knowledge and environment surrounding people such various devices. experience sharing so that you could as about places and situations, Second, the DTC characteristic allow another party to more directly clothing worn, and social information operation of replication could be used experience your own experiences, such as addresses, occupations and to copy yourself to create a derivative consensus building in groups that relationships with other humans), and digital twin which could also be given consider the value of group members models to reproduce the character activity and experience. Human based on diversity and and personality of the human (e.g., digital twins contain not only data commonalities, or negotiations based character and thought models that that represent conditions and on multifaceted options for model the person’s tendencies, behaviors, but also models to express consensus building between groups. personality and values, and models of human individuality such as judgment Since these interactions can be the person’s capabilities such as their and behavioral tendencies, which will high-speed, large-scale and perception, knowledge, language enable interaction with other digital asynchronous and leverage the skills and physical abilities). The twins and autonomous activity in advantages of digital technology, the model prescribes the behavior of the virtual societies, as if you were value of these interactions is digital twin and responds to the engaging in them yourself. Realizing certainly set to increase (Figure 5).
10 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING Physical Human Human Physical human digital digital human twin Interactions twin with humans
Thing Phisical Human of a new era living digital things in both the real world Interactions twin and cyberspace with things
Digital services Usage of services Figure 3: Interacting Cyberspace in cyber space through human digital twins
Interaction with the digital twin of a nonexistent human One-on-one interaction with an existing human
Mutual understanding through high-speed and Communication with the deceased or fictitious characters, asynchronous conveyance of intentions and exchange use of knowledge and experience of knowledge and experiences
Interactions within groups Interactions between groups
Forming consensus and optimizing teams within groups based Maximization of group benefits based on diversity and commonality on multifaceted options for negotiation and agreement
Figure 5: Various interaction patterns between humans through digital twins
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 11 ARCHITECTURE The Architecture of Digital Twin Computing
DTC will generate digital twins by twins by computing between digital to the real world. We assume the DTC sensing humans and objects in the twins, create virtual societies by architecture will consist of the layers real world, create derivative digital combining them, and provide feedback shown in Figure 6.
［Cyber／Physical Interaction Layer］ ［Digital World Presentation Layer］
This layer provides functions to collect data required Derivative digital twins will be created in this layer to generate digital twins through sensing of real-world through operations (replication, fusion, exchange) on humans and objects, and functions to provide digital twins stored in the digital twin layer. These feedback to the real world of the results of trials and derivatives digital twins can also be combined to build controls in virtual society. virtual societies.
［Digital Twin Layer］ ［Application Layer］
Collected data and models will be stored in this layer. This layer enables implementation and execution of They then can be used to create and store digital applications using the digital world presentation layer. twins.
12 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 13 Digital Twin Computing Use Cases
Use Cases with Human Digital Twins
［Future predictions］
Thinking, decision-making and that model humans uniformly with used to decide their own actions. It behavior processes are modeled with statistics, more accurate simulations will be interesting to use derivative individuality and contained in human can be realized by reflecting various digital twins that have been given new digital twins in DTC. Therefore, human thoughts and behaviors. As knowledge and abilities through gathering multiple digital twins to well as using simulation results for fusion and exchange to develop create a virtual society will make it entire virtual societies for decision yourself and society by predicting possible to simulate people's lives in making in organizations or societies, other future possibilities, such as the virtual society and predict various results of simulations for individual what would happen if you gained new future possibilities. Unlike simulations humans at the micro level can also be knowledge.
［Consensus building］
Human digital twins contain a record communications among many people. agreements that might not have been of the knowledge and experiences of A representative example of this is anticipated in advance could be an individual. Because they are able consensus building in a meeting. reached. In addition, “duplication" of to think and make judgments the same Consensus building with DTC will digital twins in DTC will allow digital as the actual person, it will be differ from classical solution twins to exist in multiple virtual possible to engage them in various searching in which optimal solutions societies at the same time, regardless tasks in place of the actual person in are found on a predetermined scale of real-world conditions. This means the real world. Particularly in DTC, within given conditions. The same as they could engage in multiple realizing the same communication meetings in the real world, conferences at super high-speed between digital twins as their conferencing among digital twins will without being restrained in a counterparts in the real world will involve information exchange, particular place or time, which will enable execution of both work done bargaining and persuasion, surely provide value that goes beyond alone and advanced tasks that require restrictions could be relaxed, and that gained from real-world meetings.
［Sharing impressions and excitement］
Human beings have long shared experience, but also to realistically feelings of when you held your child various impressions and excitement reproduce emotions as they overflow for the first time. Or, by fusion of an through methods such as books and and share them with others. DTC aims actual athlete's digital twin with your paintings in olden times, and more for sensing, recording and own digital twin, you could even have recently with videos. The popularity of propagation of the five senses, focus, feelings based on experiences that social network services in recent perceived time distortion and even the could only be previously imagined. In years can also be perceived as one consciousness of the experiencer this way, we believe sharing method of sharing impressions and without being constrained by impressions and excitement with DTC excitement of which anybody can be a conventional technologies for will go beyond mere sharing of publisher. sensing, recording and propagation photography or video recording or DTC will also enable sensing of such as “correct reproduction of physical viewpoints, and convey human emotions, and allow them to be space" or the “grasping and human feelings in that moment that recorded, reproduced and propagated. expressing of rough emotions that are inexpressible with words, which In other words, not only will it be have been quantized". will become a new communications possible to reproduce and share ways For example, by exchanging your form that transcends the conventional of seeing things from the perspective current digital twin with your past framework of text, pictures and video. of the person having an inspiring digital twin, you could revisit the
14 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING This chapter provides example use cases of digital twin computing.
Future predictions U S E
C A S E S 1
Consensus building
Sharing impressions and excitement
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 15 Use Cases with Digital Twins of Objects
［Future urban design］
DTC will enable urban design that currently doesn't exist. To create a new city for example, a virtual society with local conditions and climate could be built, and objects synthesized by fusing digital twins of infrastructure from existing cities such as residences, buildings and electricity supplies could be positioned therein, which would enable a city's optimal composition of infrastructure and urban area to be simulated in advance. In addition, residents could also be placed as digital twins to simulate the interaction between people and cities while accounting for their lifestyles and culture to even reproduce live social activities in the city.
［Optimized traffic control］
DTC could also be used to design traffic flows for entire towns. Constructing an entire town's transport system including roads and railways in a virtual society will make it possible to test outcomes when such transportation methods are changed. For example, based on the changing values of individuals, the impacts on traffic flow when private car digital twins are exchanged for car share digital twins can be evaluated, or transitions in the transport systems used due to changes in individual needs or preferences when resident digital twins are exchanged for older digital twins can be analyzed. This will demonstrate the effectiveness of the flexibility of DTC for predicting the multiple complex future patterns that might accompany such changes through time.
16 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING ［Controlling living environments］
DTC will enable realistic simulations of living environments. It will be possible to precisely reproduce not only the temperature and humidity, but also the interactions between occupants and the furniture and fixtures in places such as stadiums or even in relatively small environments such as living spaces or offices so that living comfort and ease-of-use can be evaluated from the perspective of the occupant. Also, fusing human digital twins will enable prediction of the effects of environmental changes or degradation of objects by reproducing cases such as future occupant increases or people crowding into a stadium.
USE CASES 2
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 17 The Future Outlook
The new value created by the realization of DTC will spread widely through society on discovery of solutions to the following issues and the implementation of DTC in society. However, such problem-solving and social implementation cannot be achieved by players involved with ICT technologies alone. Collaboration among experts across a wide range of academic and specialist fields and players in various industries will be required.
Example issues facing the realization of DTC:
Human understanding: Privacy:
Interdisciplinary study of human understanding Appropriate creation, protection and management needs to be deepened for insight into the of human digital twins created from data externalities and internalities of humans, humans originating from individuals are essential, and as groups, the design of human digital twins and policy must be considered from the perspectives methods of simulating societies based on these. of systems, technologies and benefits for individuals and societies.
We will also examine the social impacts of the spread of DTC in view of the above issues, and seek social consensus so that society as a whole can enjoy the benefits of DTC.
Example issues related to social impacts:
Digital ethics: Values of the digital society:
Diversity, transparency and fairness will be With accelerated fusion of the real world and required for future predictions and judgments cyberspace, resources and capital can be made with DTC and applied to social issues - expanded to cyberspace and easily cross the more than ever before. Expanding human various boundaries existing in the real world. As capabilities will enable societies in which all a result, it is possible that existing real-world people can work and fulfill their dreams through values such as money, nations and ideologies virtual societies. Therefore, it will be necessary will change and new values will be created. to consider the ethical aspects of how much Such possibilities and the scope of their impacts people and society should depend on digital must be considered. technology.
18 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING We believe that we need to work with a wide range of interdisciplinary partners, such as those listed below, to further identify and deeply examine problems and issues, and to find solutions and make agreements that will make DTC truly useful.
• Social sciences (sociology, social psychology, pedagogy, economics) • Humanities (human sciences, psychology, philosophy, ethics, cultural anthropology) • Natural sciences (biology, bio-genomics, physics, earth sciences) • Applied sciences (system science, AI, media engineering, HMI (Human-Machine Interface), computer science, networks, urban engineering, medicine) • Interdisciplinary fields (behavioral sciences, cognitive sciences, communications sciences), etc. OUTLOOK DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 19 Collaboration among players in various industries will becrucial for this concept to be implemented in society. Since theadvantage of DTC is that it can be used across various services,we would like to infuse the new value it offers widely in society.
DIGITAL TWIN
20 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING The “DTC Innovation Forum" invites partners to come together to build DTC. We look forward to joining forces to innovate together to materialize this concept and advance society with new value!
COMPUTING
DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING 21 INNOVATION FORUM
About the DTC Innovation Forum
The DTC Innovation Forum is a collaboration framework for jointly advancing initiatives towards the realization of DTC, such as refining the DTC concept, realizing methods for its achievement, studying analysis and solutions of various issues, and R&D and field trials to drive implementation in society. Those in favor of the DTC concept and interested in contributing to its creation please inquire as follows:
［Contact］ [email protected]
CONTACT
22 DIGITAL TWIN COMPUTING