Carry the Two Emerging Technologies Episode 6: Digital Twins
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Oct 13, 2025 Karen Willcox, a leading aerospace engineering professor and director at the Oden Institute, dives into the fascinating world of digital twins. She explains how these virtual models use real-time data to mirror physical systems. Learn about their applications from enhancing flight simulators to optimizing healthcare imaging for cancer treatments. Uncover the mathematical foundations behind digital twins and how uncertainty quantification plays a vital role. Plus, discover the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing these high-tech assets.
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Apollo Simulator Origin Story
- NASA launched a physical simulator in Houston that followed Apollo missions as they flew in space.
- Karen Willcox uses this story to illustrate early roots of the digital twin idea.
Digital Twin Is A Living Model
- A digital twin is a living virtual model that updates with data from the physical system.
- It supports continual bidirectional interaction between virtual and physical systems.
Flight Simulators As Digital Twins
- Modern flight simulators model aircraft dynamics and weather without the physical aircraft or weather in the building.
- Karen Willcox cites flight simulators as a familiar example of digital twins in aerospace.