14 May 2026
Webinars
Watch the full recording of the webinar on our YouTube channel here!
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects, processes, systems or even entire environments that use real-time data from sensors (IoT), AI, simulations and modelling to mirror, predict and optimise the behaviour of their real-world counterparts.
Originally emerging as a way to formalise complex structures in digital form, digital twins went from being useful to having a prominent role over the course of the last five years. Their foremost role is in manufacturing and supply chain where models of manufacturing assets and processes are now commonly used to manage manufacturing facilities and processes and to represent supply chains, especially when digital and physical products and operations need to be evaluated together. More recently, digital twins branched out into a large number of additional fields, from defence to healthcare.
Digital twins present opportunities for optimisation and innovation, risk analysis and quick responses to issues, but at the same time, the approach has numerous challenges, including costs, accuracy, uncertain effect on ROI and organisational resistance.
What is the present and future of digital twins? Will they move from promising but experimental techniques to approaches that are broadly applicable? What are the areas where they will thrive?
Our distinguished speakers discussed these and related issues for this popular emerging field. They were:
- Ashis Khan, CEO/Founder, Intelligent Shopfloor, a Silicon Valley startup
- John Oakley, Professor of Practice in Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), University of Florida
- JV Rajendran, Associate Professor and ASCEND Fellow at Texas A&M University
The session was moderated by TDL strategic adviser, Claire Vishik