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Digital Twins in Industry 4.0, 2nd Edition
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Digital Twins in Industry 4.0, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer Science & Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2025 | Viewed by 5555

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sangchan Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Technology and Society, State University of New York Korea, Incheon 119-2, Republic of Korea
Interests: Industry 4.0; digital twins; IoT; healthcare management; digital hospital; health–safety–environment; big data analytics; clinical decision support systems; total quality management; e-learning; educational technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sira Maliphol

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Technology and Society, State University of New York Korea, Incheon 119-2, Republic of Korea
Interests: innovation and development; ICT4D
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to identify the potential for digital twins in Industry 4.0, not only in the manufacturing industry, but also in smart communities, in smart education, and in smart development.

Digital twin technology is used in product design and virtual prototyping, predictive maintenance (to maintain equipment and facilities), process planning and optimization, enhancing product traceability processes, increasing the level of integration between unconnected systems, the remote troubleshooting of equipment, and in obtaining a better understanding of products by monitoring them in real-time as they are used by real customers or end-users.

The potential gains digital twins offer, however, are still to be uncovered across industries and across the product lifecycle. Potential digital twin applications might include smart communities (smart cities, smart regions, urban and regional planning, energy infrastructures, and waste infrastructures), smart education (digital teaching and learning skills and pedagogy design for online-platform-based learning), and smart development (information and communication technologies for sustainable development, also known as ICT4D).

Following the success of the first edition of this Special Issue, in the second edition, we aim to assist all those interested in this topic to promote their visions and ideas.

This Special Issue will include, but is not limited to, the application of digital twin technologies to address the following areas:

  • Industry 4.0 and the Metaverse;
  • CPS systems across multiple industries;
  • ICT4D and sustainable development;
  • Monitoring disaster management;
  • Improving safety and reducing risks;
  • Improving smart communities and intelligent infrastructure;
  • Industry 4.0 and smart education.

Prof. Dr. Sangchan Park
Dr. Sira Maliphol
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital twins
  • Industry 4.0
  • smart communities
  • smart education
  • smart development (ICT4D)
  • metaverse

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 6969 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of Digital Twin Developed in Unity and Gazebo
by Maulshree Singh, Jayasekara Kapukotuwa, Eber Lawrence Souza Gouveia, Evert Fuenmayor, Yuansong Qiao, Niall Murray and Declan Devine
Electronics 2025, 14(2), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14020276 - 11 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1576
Abstract
Digital twin (DT) technology has become a cornerstone in the simulation and analysis of real-world systems, offering unparalleled insights into the lifecycle management of physical assets. By providing a real-time synchronized replica of the physical entity, DTs enable predictive maintenance, performance optimization, and [...] Read more.
Digital twin (DT) technology has become a cornerstone in the simulation and analysis of real-world systems, offering unparalleled insights into the lifecycle management of physical assets. By providing a real-time synchronized replica of the physical entity, DTs enable predictive maintenance, performance optimization, and lifecycle extension, which are pivotal for industries aiming for digital transformation. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of DT development of a robotic arm using two prominent simulation platforms: Unity and Gazebo. Unity, with its roots in the gaming industry, offers robust real-time rendering and a user-friendly interface, making it a versatile choice for various industries. Gazebo, traditionally used in robotics, provides detailed physics simulations and sensor data emulation, which is ideal for precise engineering applications. We explored the performance of both platforms in creating accurate and dynamic digital replicas. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses, this study evaluates each platform’s strengths and limitations. The study assesses these platforms across key performance metrics such as accuracy, latency, graphic quality, and integration with the Robot Operating System (ROS). The DTs were developed using a consistent physical setup and communication layer to ensure fair comparisons. The results indicate that Unity performed better in terms of accurately mimicking the robotic arm with lower latency, making it ideal for applications requiring high-fidelity visualizations and real-time responsiveness. However, Gazebo excels in its ease of ROS integration and cost-effectiveness, making it a suitable choice for smaller robotics and automation projects. This study conducts an empirical comparison of these platforms in terms of their performance in creating DTs of robotic arms which is not readily available. This paper aims to guide developers and organizations in selecting the appropriate platform for their DT initiatives, ensuring efficient resource utilization and optimal outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twins in Industry 4.0, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 1275 KiB  
Article
Integrating Digital Twins and Cyber-Physical Systems for Flexible Energy Management in Manufacturing Facilities: A Conceptual Framework
by Gerrit Rolofs, Fabian Wilking, Stefan Goetz and Sandro Wartzack
Electronics 2024, 13(24), 4964; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13244964 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1556
Abstract
This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at integrating Digital Twins and cyber-physical production systems into the energy management of manufacturing facilities. To address the challenges of rising energy costs and environmental impacts, this framework combines digital modeling and customized energy management for [...] Read more.
This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at integrating Digital Twins and cyber-physical production systems into the energy management of manufacturing facilities. To address the challenges of rising energy costs and environmental impacts, this framework combines digital modeling and customized energy management for direct manufacturing operations. Through a review of the existing literature, essential components such as physical models, a data platform, an energy optimization platform, and various interfaces are identified. Key requirements are defined in terms of functionality, performance, reliability, safety, and additional factors. The proposed framework includes the physical system, data platform, energy management system, and interfaces for both operators and external parties. The goal of this framework is to set the basis for allowing manufacturers to reduce energy consumption and costs during the lifecycle of assets more effectively, thereby improving energy efficiency in smart manufacturing. The study highlights opportunities for further research, such as real-world applications and sophisticated optimization methods. The advancement of Digital Twin technologies holds significant potential for creating more sustainable factories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twins in Industry 4.0, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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21 pages, 508 KiB  
Review
Digital Twin Technology—A Review and Its Application Model for Prognostics and Health Management of Microelectronics
by Adwait Inamdar, Willem Dirk van Driel and Guoqi Zhang
Electronics 2024, 13(16), 3255; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13163255 - 16 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2125
Abstract
Digital Twins (DT) play a key role in Industry 4.0 applications, and the technology is in the process of being mature. Since its conceptualisation, it has been heavily contextualised and often misinterpreted as being merely a virtual model. Thus, it is crucial to [...] Read more.
Digital Twins (DT) play a key role in Industry 4.0 applications, and the technology is in the process of being mature. Since its conceptualisation, it has been heavily contextualised and often misinterpreted as being merely a virtual model. Thus, it is crucial to define it clearly and have a deeper understanding of its architecture, workflow, and implementation scales. This paper reviews the notion of a Digital Twin represented in the literature and analyses different kinds of descriptions, including several definitions and architectural models. A new fit-for-all definition is proposed which describes the underlying technology without being context-specific and also overcomes the pitfalls of the existing generalised definitions. In addition, the existing three-dimensional and five-dimensional models of the DT architecture and their characteristic features are analysed. A new simplified two-branched model of DT is introduced, which retains a clear separation between the real and virtual spaces and outlines the latter based on the two key modelling approaches. This model is then extended for condition monitoring of electronic components and systems, and a hybrid approach to Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) is further elaborated on. The proposed framework, enabled by the two-branched Digital Twin model, combines the physics-of-degradation and data-driven approaches and empowers the next generation of reliability assessment methods. Finally, the benefits, challenges, and outlook of the proposed approach are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twins in Industry 4.0, 2nd Edition)
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