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