WHAT ARE DIGITAL TWINS?

TEXT ANNA GAUTO
PHOTO GETTYIMAGES/KLAUS VEDFELT

—— Yannick Renaud, project engineer for simulation and energy technology, explains the potential of the new technology.

Mr. Renaud, can buildings be cloned?: ———— Perhaps not cloned, but with so-called digital twins we can comprehensively model an office building—and can do so much faster than before. This allows us to see how we can save as much energy as possible early in the design phase of a new building, thus also reducing carbon-dioxide emissions.

What’s new about this?: ———— First and foremost it’s how we deal with data. Let’s look at the construction industry. Previously, for a heat calculation you had to gather data from a wide variety of sources, all in different formats. Everyone involved used different software programs and datasets. Sifting through and processing all this data took a lot of time. Today we work with uniform data and pool it in one platform. Particularly in the era of big data, this allows us to simulate buildings much faster and more accurately—and to create a digital twin.

That probably sounds easier than it is.: ———— One of the real challenges is getting all the participants to work in one model throughout the entire construction phase instead of working with ten digital information channels. We have consultants whose only job is to make sure that the planners, designers and engineers reconcile their data and save it in one location. That can be on a special platform, like in the construction industry, or in the cloud. This saves a lot of time and effort, especially for larger projects.

What possibilities will the future bring?: ———— With the help of big data and digital twin technology, we can continually optimize buildings. We can also enhance them with virtual reality and augmented reality to gain even more insights. This has rarely been the case thus far. As soon as a building is finished, people often stop paying attention to it. That’s a big mistake, since buildings can continually be made more efficient when you’ve collected the relevant data over several decades and can network that data in a meaningful way.

CYBER ATTACKS ON MUNICIPALITIES

—— Digital attacks are increasingly targeting city halls, municipal enterprises and hospitals—facilities that often have very limited resources for cybersecurity. TÜV SÜD specialist Sudhir Ethiraj explains how municipalities can defend themselves and what role AI can play in this field in the future.

“AI ACT”: WHAT DOES THE EU’S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACT MEAN FOR COMPANIES AND USERS?

—— Artificial intelligence (AI) has enormous potential to change society. Whether or not we perceive these changes as positive will strongly depend on how we regulate AI and its development. The EU has agreed on the world’s first comprehensive, governmental regulatory framework for AI. This will set the standards for the future.

CAN WE TRUST CHATBOTS?

—— Chatbots are taking over more and more aspects of our digital lives. Thanks to AI technology, they offer quick and affordable approaches to customer service and online advice. But what if a chatbot starts spreading misinformation?

NEW CYBERSECURITY LAW FOR PRESSURE EQUIPMENT

—— In spring 2021, it was widely reported in the media that there had been an attempted cyberattack against a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida. Apparently, malicious hackers had remotely taken over its systems and tried to poison the water. Evidence of any actual system breach could not be found—but many vulnerabilities in the plant’s systems were discovered.