Learn how to create, use and learn from digital twins.
Boost the interest of young people in Stem
Reduce the gap between academic and professional digital worlds
How?
The project aims to create a digital platform which will allow students and the general public to learn how to create, use and learn from digital twins. This technology is in itself important as a development in 3D technologies, scanning and simulation, and is seeing increasing use in and interest from European and global industry.
Why?
Digital technologies are currently causing radical and dizzying changes. We are constantly experiencing this paradigm shift in our personal lives, through the devices with which we coexist. The same change is happening in our professional and educational lives, although perhaps a little slower. Companies are organisations with their own culture and often offer resistance to change. Educational institutions are generally organisations with a great deal of inertia, where changes and updates tend to be slow.
This is why companies, under pressure from the need to compete, often manage to adapt to
digital transformation more quickly than universities and other educational institutions. Even in technical and technological education, the gap between the academic and professional worlds is a reality.
Therefore, in this DIGILAB/BE project we intend to take a breakthrough technology that is radically changing the professions in the AEC field (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) such as the Digital Twin, break it down into its components, adapt them to the educational environment at different levels (EQF 5 and 6 mainly, but also 4) and turn it into a simulation tool similar to its role in industry, but as a means of also modernising the ways of teaching.
Digital Twin – initial understanding
A digital twin is a digital representation of an intended or actual real-world physical product, system, or process (a physical twin) that serves as the effectively indistinguishable digital counterpart of it for practical purposes, such as simulation, integration, testing, monitoring, and maintenance. (Wikipedia)
To become a digital twin, and not just a digital entity, a related physical entity (also called “target entity”) must exist., or at least be planned. In exceptional cases, the twin part (the related entity), might also be a digital entity. For one physical entity, a set of digital twins, with different purposes, may also be created.
The Digilab/BE project is focused on digital twins for the built environment (BE).
Figure: Visualisation of the digital twin of the demo site building at Segura Valley High School
Figure: Snap from our online course
Learning material
Our web-based course will guide you through an extraordinary journey, enabling you to create your own digital twin from the ground up. You will learn the fundamentals of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and 3D modeling. We will introduce you to various laser scanning solutions, demonstrating how to connect your model with real-world data and analyze this information effectively. Additionally, you will gain insights into how Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can enhance your projects.
Sample cases
Experience firsthand the possibilities of digital twins with our diverse sample cases. We have utilized various technologies to broaden your perspective on digital twin presentations. Explore open-source solutions like ifc.js, and see the impressive capabilities when integrating with popular tools like Power BI. Additionally, delve into the exciting realm of digital twin gamification using Unity, illustrating innovative applications in this field.
Figure: Sample of Segura Valley high school (IFC.JS)