Application of Digital Twins in Industry 5.0

Dear Colleagues,

Industry 5.0 (I5.0) represents a paradigm shift where humans and manufacturing machines, utilizing digital technology capabilities, collaborate more closely. This emphasizes human-centered manufacturing. I5.0 aims to integrate the strengths of both humans and machines to enhance productivity, safety, and creativity in developing industrial processes and flawless performance in day-to-day production. Digital twins, virtual replicas of physical assets and processes, play a crucial role in I5.0 by facilitating real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and the optimization of production processes.

Before manufacturing facilities are built or revamped, Digital Twins enable manufacturers to virtually commission by laying out the facility and equipment, simulating various scenarios, exploring alternate production methods, and identifying potential issues before they occur. In production, Digital Twins can provide an instantaneous and simultaneous replicative view of production as it is occurring and predict potential issues and their probabilities, leading to more efficient and effective operations, increased safety, and reduced downtime.

Moreover, digital twins enhance human–machine interaction by providing AI-assisted advice as needed for operators interacting with complex equipment and processes, ultimately improving decision-making and empowering workers to contribute their expertise more effectively in collaborative environments. Overall, digital twins are instrumental in realizing the vision of Industry 5.0 by fostering synergy between humans and machines for smarter, more efficient and effective manufacturing.

Prof. Dr. Michael Grieves
Dr. Dean Bartles
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. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• digital twins
• Industry 5.0
• replicative digital twins
• predictive maintenance
• virtual commissioning
• human–machine manufacturing