Digital twins: past, present and future

Over the past few decades, digital twin technology has evolved into a highly versatile tool. Initially used in the aerospace industry, digital twins can now form the dynamic backbone of systems in manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and planetary-scale climate models. They facilitate predictive ‘what if’ simulations, ranging from virtual hearts to interactive Earth twins. Progress in the future will rely on the integration of heterogeneous data, the validation of models and the embedding of human-centric governance in order to build robust and trustworthy digital twins across disciplines for the benefit of society.