A digital twin is a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process. Though the concept originated earlier the first practical definition of digital twin originated from NASA in an attempt to improve physical model simulation of spacecraft in 2010. The twin can be used to design a predictive maintenance detection algorithm for deployment to the controller of the actual equipment.
Digital twins are the result of continual improvement in the creation of product design and engineering activities. Product drawings and engineering specifications progressed from handmade drafting to computer aided drafting/computer aided design to model-based systems engineering.
The digital twin of a physical object is dependent on the digital thread—the lowest level design and specification for a digital twin—and the “twin” is dependent on the digital thread to maintain accuracy. Changes to product design are implemented using engineering change orders (ECO). An ECO made to a component item will result in a new version of the item’s digital thread, and correspondingly to the digital twin.