Companies and operators are increasingly turning to digital twins to create dynamic representations of any process, product or service, Timoni West, VP of AR and VR at software development company Unity (pictured) told Mobile World Live.

Speaking ahead of a session today (3 March), West stated most digital twins use a combination of machine learning, sensor data and real-time 3D to generate a digital simulation of any physical entity.

“Digital twins have a broad appeal and reach across all industries, including manufacturing, e-commerce, architecture or aerospace.”

“Ultimately, all these industries face the same challenges: the need to have people across disciplines and across locations to design, engineer, build, sell and eventually operate and maintain these complex physical systems.

“A digital twin helps you and your organisation make a more informed decision that can help you save time, and ultimately cut down on costs.”

Digital twins are the generation or collection of data representing a physical object and are designed to help companies make sense of huge amounts of varied information and recommend outcomes.

While Unity uses both AR and VR in its digital twins, they are not necessarily dependent on the technologies.

West noted AR and VR are tools which can help enable someone to make an informed decision or present the user with an easier way of comprehending real-time data, instead of looking at a computer screen.

“For example, if I’m constructing a building, AR helps me show the design to others in real time, at the site,” West stated.

“An architect can submit his design and use AR to display positioning of the building, while the builder themselves can use AR to overlay the design onto a construction site to ensure that what they are building matches the design scheme.”