Imagine if you could create a perfect digital version of your business – a mirror image of your operations, your products, even your customer experiences – that works in real time. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the power of digital twins. Far beyond just simulations or 3D models, digital twins are enabling businesses to unlock unprecedented levels of efficiency, insight, and innovation. From fine-tuning manufacturing processes to reimagining retail experiences, industries are embracing this transformative technology to rethink how they operate, innovate, and engage with customers.
It’s no longer just about keeping pace with technological change—it’s about actively shaping the future of business. Digital twins are turning what was once a futuristic vision into a practical reality, offering companies a powerful tool to drive growth and redefine industry standards. This was one of many takeaways in a video interview between Mike Festa, CTO of SuperDNA 3D Lab, and Matt Greff, Industry Advisor (video embedded below).
More Than Just a Virtual Model
A digital twin is not just a 3D model or a virtual stand-in for a real-world object. It is an advanced, data-driven replica that mirrors the physical world with incredible precision—capturing not only the object’s appearance but its behavior, performance, and interactions in real time.
This integration of real-time data, sensor information, and advanced modeling makes digital twins dynamic and capable of offering predictive insights, optimization strategies, and powerful simulations.
“It’s like SimCity for real-world environments, but much more sophisticated,” said Greff. “You can create a digital replica of anything physical—whether it’s an entire factory floor or an individual product—and then test, simulate, and optimize it in ways that weren’t previously possible.”
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Operational Intelligence
What sets digital twins apart from static visualizations or 3D models is their ability to provide real-time operational intelligence. They are not merely visual representations but living, breathing digital assets that reflect ongoing operations, system performance, and behavior under various conditions. This capability can be leveraged across industries to optimize everything from supply chain efficiency to customer experiences.
Greff emphasizes the impact on manufacturing:
“Imagine having the ability to view a production line digitally as products are being assembled, running thousands of simulations to improve efficiency, reduce waste, or identify potential problems—without the need for physical downtime. This kind of insight allows manufacturers to optimize processes on the fly, avoiding costly real-world disruptions.”
Revolutionizing Training and Simulation
Traditional training methods often involve high-risk or expensive real-world scenarios. With digital twins, these challenges can be tested and optimized in a risk-free, scalable manner. Whether it’s training robotics for warehouse navigation or testing new equipment setups in a factory, the cost and risk associated with traditional training are dramatically reduced.
For example, robotic systems are often trained in physical environments where the cost of errors can be significant. Digital twins allow robots to learn in a virtual environment, where they can “collide” with objects or encounter challenges thousands of times per hour without damaging real-world equipment.
“You can simulate thousands of training cycles in a fraction of the time,” Greff explains. “This enables rapid iteration and reduces both time and financial investment in the learning phase.”
Turning Digital Twins into Smart Systems
The true potential of digital twins is realized when combined with AI and real-time sensor data. By integrating artificial intelligence into digital twins, businesses can move beyond passive simulations to develop intelligent systems that actively assist in decision-making.
These systems can predict outcomes, recommend actions, and even adjust operational strategies based on real-time data.
“Imagine asking your digital twin, ‘What is the most efficient way to improve my supply chain?’ and having it not only provide an answer but also run simulations to test various scenarios,” says Greff. “With AI driving the digital twin, you’re not just getting static data; you’re gaining actionable insights that can optimize your entire workflow.”
This is where digital twins evolve from being useful models to becoming dynamic, decision-making assets that continuously learn and improve based on incoming data.
A Key to Seamless Integration
A significant challenge with digital twins is integrating legacy data into 3D environments. Much of the data that drives businesses today is linear and flat—things like spreadsheets, reports, or traditional databases. Digital twins require a more integrated approach, where all of this disparate data can be mapped into 3D environments and constantly updated in real-time.
“Traditional data structures were never built with 3D environments in mind,” Greff explains. “The future lies in breaking down those silos and creating a more connected ecosystem.”
Fortunately, organizations like Khronos, which is helping to build the infrastructure for 3D commerce, are pushing forward in this space, making data more compatible with digital twin environments.
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The Broader Application
While manufacturing has been the early adopter, retail is quickly seeing the potential of digital twins to transform their operations. Retailers can use digital twins to create virtual versions of their stores and simulate the impact of everything from product placement to customer flow. Instead of making costly, physical adjustments, businesses can test and refine strategies digitally.
By virtually experimenting with different configurations of store layouts, product displays, and customer behavior, retailers can optimize their approach without the logistical headache of physically moving anything. This provides a powerful tool for improving customer experience while also saving time and costs.
Human-Centered Augmentation
As with any breakthrough technology, there’s a fear that digital twins could replace jobs. However, experts like Mike Festa, Co-founder and CTO of SuperDNA 3D Lab, argue that digital twins are not meant to replace workers but to augment their capabilities. “Digital twins are tools to make us faster, more precise, and more efficient,” Festa says. “They take over the repetitive, mundane tasks so that we can focus on higher-level decision-making.”
Greff adds a historical perspective: “When computers were first introduced, they didn’t eliminate jobs; they transformed them. Digital twins will have a similar impact. They’ll shift how work gets done, enabling more innovation, creativity, and efficiency across industries.”
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The Future of Digital Twins
The next generation, raised on immersive video games and virtual experiences, will likely find digital twin technologies second nature.
Greff predicts, “Kids who grew up with immersive digital worlds like Fortnite won’t find digital twins intimidating or alien. They’ll see them as a natural extension of the tools they’re already familiar with.”
This shift is crucial for the widespread adoption of digital twins, as businesses must adapt to an increasingly digitally native workforce that expects seamless interactions between the physical and virtual worlds.
Digital Twins Are Here to Stay—and They’re Changing Everything
Digital twins are more than just a technological trend. They represent a profound shift in how businesses understand, simulate, and optimize their operations. From manufacturing to retail, digital twins are enabling companies to bridge the physical and digital worlds like never before, offering unprecedented insights and opportunities for growth.
As industries continue to adopt this transformative technology, one thing is clear: digital twins aren’t just a glimpse of the future—they are the future, and that future is unfolding now.
Header image credit: Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash
SuperDNA 3D Lab is a full-service 3D solutions provider. It creates 3D content, distributes it across various channels, and manages it in its own cloud servers for elevated eCommerce and other endpoints.
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