INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XII December 2025
It consists of three main components: the physical entity, the virtual model, and the
data connections that allow for seamless interaction between them (Boschert &
Rosen, 2016; Fuller et al., 2020). By utilizing real-time data, digital twins not only
reflect the current state of their physical counterparts but also predict their future
behaviour, ultimately improving decision-making and operational efficiency (Tao et
al., 2019; Lee et al., 2014; Grieves & Vickers, 2017). This capability has led to their
increasing adoption across sectors, such as manufacturing, aerospace, smart cities,
and healthcare, due to their ability to enhance operational insight, enable predictive
maintenance, and support complex simulations without disrupting real-world
operations (Liu et al., 2020; Jones et al., 2020).
Origins
The concept of digital twins was first introduced by Michael Grieves in 2002 during a
presentation at the University of Michigan, where he discussed a virtual model that
mirrors a physical counterpart within Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) (Grieves
& Vickers, 2017). Earlier applications of similar concepts can be traced back to
NASA during the Apollo missions in the 1960s, where simulators were used to model
spacecraft conditions.
Applications
Smart manufacturing
Digital twin technology enhances real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and
system optimization in smart manufacturing, significantly reducing machine
downtime, energy consumption, and production errors (Tao et al., 2022; Liu &
Zhang, 2021; Qi & Tao, 2018). In the aerospace industry, digital twins are used for
performance monitoring, structural health diagnostics, and mission simulation,
thereby improving operational safety and reducing maintenance costs (Fuller et al.,
2020; Glaessgen & Stargel, 2012). Key applications include product lifecycle
management, dynamic design optimization, and intelligent control systems (Grieves
& Vickers, 2017; Boschert & Rosen, 2016). Despite these advantages, several
challenges persist. These include high implementation costs, data interoperability
issues across platforms, cybersecurity risks due to continuous data exchange, and the
need for standardized frameworks (Khan et al., 2021; Ünal et al., 2023). Conversely,
ongoing research presents opportunities, such as integrating AI for autonomous
decision-making, utilizing 5G/6G for ultra-low latency communication, and
expanding the use of digital twins in emerging domains like personalized medicine
and urban digital infrastructure (Lu et al., 2020; Jones et al., 2020; Alam, 2023).
Healthcare
Digital twins in healthcare facilitate personalized treatments through patient-specific
simulations, significantly enhancing diagnostic accuracy, treatment planning, and
clinical decision-making—thereby advancing the field of precision medicine (Kahn &
Lentz, 2024; Rojas & Gutiérrez, 2024; Bruynseels et al., 2018). Key applications
include surgical simulations, which allow for preoperative rehearsals and risk
assessment; treatment planning, where simulations model disease progression and
therapy responses; and real-time patient monitoring, enabling continuous assessment
through sensor-integrated twins (Corral-Acero et al., 2020; Björnsson et al., 2020; Li
et al., 2021).Despite their potential, digital twins in healthcare face several challenges,
such as ensuring data privacy and security, integration of heterogeneous medical data,
limited standardization in clinical environments, and the high cost of implementation
(Marr, 2022; Fernandes et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2022). Moreover, achieving
clinically validated, real-time predictive models remain an open research problem due
to the complexity and variability of human physiology. However, ongoing
advancements in AI, wearable technology, and high-performance computing present
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