Digital doubles technology is a new trend. In March 2024, Chinese leader Xi Jinping named technology as one of six key areas in which China aims to surpass the United States. The technology itself has been known for a long time – NASA used the first digital pair on the accident Apollo 13 Moon mission in 1970. NASA engineers saved the mission by recreating crash conditions and finding solutions with the help of a digital copy of the Apollo 13 spacecraft system on Earth. At that time, 15 simulators were used to train cosmonauts and flight controllers.

The latest tools emerging now have given the technology a second life in the 2020s. Digital pairs are now used in construction, medicine and transportation. About the threat of artificial intelligence and the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), called “digital twins” in English 24 Channels at IT-Arena 2024 He spoke to AI expert Barry Hogian, Head of Internet of Things at IT company Intellias.

Barry Hoghian / Photo: IT Arena

For reference! Barry Haughian is a Northern Irishman currently living in Madrid. An expert in the implementation of digital pairs and their applications in construction and commerce, he has many years of experience working with the Internet of Things. Khogian works as head of the Internet of Things division of Ukrainian IT company Intellias.

An interesting fact is that at the beginning of the full-scale occupation, Hoghian was sheltering four Ukrainian families in his own 15th-century castle in County Galway, Ireland.

How does digital double and the Internet of Things work?

What is the Internet of Things?

Internet of things (IoT) is a technology that has been talked about for years. This is a system of devices, gadgets connected through a network with an Internet connection. The name of the technology explains this in the simplest way; It’s the Internet for things that are supposed to make people’s lives easier.

Artificial intelligence has significantly increased the capabilities of the Internet of Things, Khogian explains, unlike the situation 10 years ago when the Internet of Things was widely talked about.

The Internet of Things can now be seen everywhere; office building systems, hotels, even museums, city bus systems, In the near future, the Internet of Things will control emerging driverless cars on the roads.

We have cloud services at our disposal – the data we collect, analyze and use to train AI. And the Internet of Things helps with this. For the transportation industry, the Internet of Things provides information about routes, roads, status, etc. collects data about. I am currently working on such a system in Africa.
– says the expert.

Everything listed by the expert serves as the basis for a digital copy, which reproduces a real or planned object in digital form and allows you to study and see live all the processes to be implemented. Digital doubles are used specifically in construction – to create a 3D model of the building during construction that will show all its systems, such as electrical and pipes.

Digital replica of aircraft / intellias drawing

Khogian explains that first a model of the building is created, and then the Internet of Things comes into play, collecting real-time data during the construction process.

Digital replica of the building / intellias drawing

According to the expert, this algorithm can be used in various fields, certainly in IT companies or construction. Such a model can be used in education, health, etc. available. In these industries, they need to optimize their processes, improve them, etc. Digital counterparts can be created for

The main thing to remember, if we are talking about doubles in the industry, is that the digital double is not a copy of a traditional factory, but a reflection of the processes.

The expert says the Internet of Things is becoming popular again because it helps collect all the data for artificial intelligence. Hoghian calls IoT an AI accelerator.

“But if we don’t stop this hype and give everyone AI models, then frankly we would be doing a disservice,” the interlocutor thinks.

Barry Khogian at Lviv IT Arena / Photo: Lev Shevchenko, 24 Kanal

When creating a digital twin, first define the process. If it’s too difficult, break it down into smaller steps. Focus on return on investment at every stage,
Khogian notes.

How to use digital doubles for humans?

Digital doubles also extend to the human dimension.

The expert explains that this is already happening now: with the help of a digital copy of a person, new drugs are tested by analyzing the DNA of a particular person. The simplest digital pair can be called data from a fitness bracelet or smartwatch, which the application collects from heart rate, breathing rate, etc.

Digital Twins / Illustration by ohsl.us

Interesting! Consulting firm McKinsey predicts that digital twins will speed up product development processes and improve results while reducing costs.

The global digital twin technology market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 60% annually, reaching $73.5 billion by 2027.

Queen Mary University of London is already creating digital heart replicas to find better treatments for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, caused by random electrical signals in the upper parts of the heart, is the most common form of heart arrhythmia and affects around 1.4 million people in the UK alone. If left untreated, it can lead to paralysis.

In the United States, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the use of a digital binary-powered artificial pancreas. A sensor under the skin regularly measures the level of glucose in the blood, transfers the data to the smartphone, so that the program automatically injects insulin in people with type 1 diabetes. The digital double simulates glucose metabolism in the body, from which the required insulin dose is determined.

What are the threats from digital duplicates and what will happen in the future?

The main threat from the introduction of digital doubles Barry Khogian calls cybersecurity, namely hacks. The expert says that everything can be hacked, so this issue should be regulated especially by the state. According to him, another aspect of artificial intelligence also needs to be regulated: the sending of created images, fraud on social networks. Hoghian calls this a foolish use of artificial intelligence.

As for the human-like appearance of artificial intelligence, the expert does not believe it.

If we are talking about conscious artificial intelligence, we have been hearing about it for many years – about something like the “Terminator” that carries a threat and destroys humanity. It’s still not there, and I don’t think it will be, at least not in my lifetime or my children’s lifetime.
– Khoian believes.

However, according to the expert, human-like artificial intelligence already exists because chatbots communicate like a human.

The expert adds that most people use AI mindlessly. “If you’re going to use AI or machine learning, make sure it has a purpose. Make sure you have an end product that you’re willing to pay for the investment,” says Hoghian.