Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Navigating Digital Twin Adoption

James Michael Tooth, Nilufer Tuptuk, Jeremy D. McK. Watson

Abstract: Digital Twins (DTws) can enhance simulation, modelling, design and decision-making capabilities across (and between) transdisciplinary teams of various engineering disciplines, throughout lifecycles of products or assets of interest. Yet, effective stakeholder collaboration may depend on interoperable models and data, which could be hampered by deviating user requirements or interpretations. Furthermore, security or resilience failures of certain DTws and the assets they represent, such as Critical National Infrastructure, can have severe implications for safety and privacy for users and the wider public. Given the multiplicity of DTws arising from these variations, collation of key sources of commonality, disagreement and uncertainty between stakeholders could support a more coordinated approach. Therefore, this research uses semi-structured interviews to understand the on-the-ground practical context of DTw adoption, gathering views of 23 participants from various disciplines across the public sector, industry and academia. These interviews discuss existing DTw approaches and identify areas for future investigation, relating to: 1) implementation, sectoral needs and user expectations; 2) future trends and emerging synergistic or antagonistic technologies; and 3) context and impacts of IP and liability concerns.