Die kollaborative Teilebearbeitung mit Robotern und Werkzeugmaschinen wird in der Fertigung immer wichtiger. Durch die gleichzeitige Arbeit von Robotern und Werkzeugmaschinen kann eine noch effizientere Produktion erreicht werden. Mit der Entwicklung fortschrittlicher simulationsbasierter Lösungen können Hersteller jetzt die Zusammenarbeit von Robotern und Werkzeugmaschinen besser simulieren und überprüfen, um potenzielle Probleme zu erkennen und zu lösen, bevor sie in der realen Fertigung auftreten. Eine solche Lösung ist die NX-Offline-Simulation in Verbindung mit digitalen Zwillingen, mit der Hersteller ihre Teilebearbeitungsprogramme testen und optimieren können. Der Vortrag erläutert kurz das laufende Projekt 'RokoPro' und die Notwendigkeit des Einsatzes von Robotern in der Fertigung und der Simulation zur Überprüfung dieser Lösungen. / Collaborative part processing with robots and machine tools is becoming increasingly important in manufacturing. Even more efficient production can be achieved by having robots and machine tools work simultaneously. With the development of advanced Simulation-based solutions manufacturers can now better simulate and verify the collaboration of robots and machine tools to identify and solve potential problems before they occur in real manufacturing. One such solution is NX offline simulation along with digital twins, which allows manufacturers to test and optimize their part processing programs. The presentation briefly explains the ongoing project “RokoPro” and the need for use of robots in manufacturing and simulation to check those solutions.

This thesis project aims to develop an instructing framework, concerning digital twin-based virtual commissioning, suitable for practical applications within the industrial sphere. The objectives set for the project are focused on constructing a framework which covers the initial specification, creation, development, and implementation of DTs within the circumstances of virtual commissioning. A literature review was performed to investigate the current state of the related academic fields. The gathered findings of the literary exploration were subsequently utilized to generate an initial framework. To test the instructing quality of the framework, a case study was conducted, involving the construction of a DT based on a real-world production process. Additional knowledge could be retrieved from the reflections of the case study, which prompted further alterations to the framework. The framework's final iteration covers the complete commissioning process, emphasising the virtual parts thatoccur at the beginning. In addition, the framework further shows how industrial organisations may store and repurpose DTs within their business practices. Suggested secondary applications of fully developed DTs were presented and discussed, including their impacting effects on supporting sustainable business practices.Therefore, it can be argued that the framework itself can be seen as a tool for supporting manufacturers to accentuate the presence of sustainability within their organisations.

The real estate industry is one of the areas that is at a very early stage in the digitalization process. The implementation of digital solutions is slow within these companies, despite the fact that it could entail many types of benefits from several different perspectives. Therefore, this study aims to create a clearer understanding of the effects that digital solutions bring to the Swedish real estate industry from the perspectives of sustainability. To achieve this, a case study within Sweco and its digital solution Twinfinty has been carried out.   Twinfinity is a platform for digital twins whose central purpose is to connect different property data that can act and visualize a clear insight into individual buildings.To collect data on this, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected respondents consisting of experienced people within Twinfinity. This is to create in-depth discussions on the subject and to generate information regarding effects that digital solutions are enabling within the Swedish real estate industry.   The results are discussed on the basis of research in order to finally draw conclusions that can answer the research question posed. The conclusion shows that the effects brought about by digital solutions in the form of Twinfinity differ from case to case. When a structural platform containing data from several different systems within a property is formed, effects from different perspectives can be made possible. This includes clearly contributing effects to criteria within ecological and economic sustainability, such as streamlining of energy use and management costs in the property. In the sustainability perspective, these two end up at the forefront in comparison with the social aspect. Therefore, there are mainly indirect effects to be discovered currently. While it is possible to see how the sustainability perspectives are connected, it can be shown that an effect can give positive results in all three aspects at the same time. This proves that a positive effect in one aspect does not have to happen at the expense of another, which in this way meets the criteria for achieving sustainability. From a negative point of view, a platform for digital twins is an expensive solution at an early stage, especially if the customer needs more services for implementation which for smaller companies can be difficult to finance. / Fastighetsbranschen är ett av de områden som befinner sig i ett tidigt stadie i digitaliseringsprocessen. Implementeringen av digitala lösningar går sakta inom dessa företag, trots att det skulle kunna medföra många typer av fördelar från flera olika perspektiv. Därför har denna studie till syfte att utifrån hållbarhetsperspektiven skapa tydligare förståelse för effekter som digitala lösningar medför inom den svenska fastighetsbranschen. För att uppnå detta har en fallstudie inom Sweco och dess digitala lösning Twinfinity genomförts.   Twinfinity är en plattform för digitala tvillingar vars centrala syfte är att koppla samman olika fastighetsdata som kan agera och visualisera en tydlig insikt på individuella byggnader. För att samla in data om detta har kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med utvalda respondenter bestående av insatta personer inom Twinfinity. Detta för att skapa djupgående diskussioner kring ämnet och för att generera information angående effekter som digitala lösningar möjliggör för de svenska fastighetsbolagen.   Resultatet diskuteras utifrån forskning för att slutligen dra slutsatser som kan besvara den ställda forskningsfrågan. Slutsatsen visar att medförda effekter från digitala lösningar i form av Twinfinity skiljer sig från fall till fall. Då en strukturell plattform innehållande data från flera olika system inom en fastighet bildas kan effekter inom olika perspektiv möjliggöras. Detta innefattar tydligt bidragande effekter till kriterier inom ekologisk och ekonomisk hållbarhet som exempelvis effektivisering av energianvändning och förvaltningskostnaderna i fastigheten. Inom hållbarhetsperspektiven hamnar dessa två i framkant, medan den sociala aspekten hamnar i skymundan. Därför finns det i nuläget främst indirekta effekter att upptäcka. Samtidigt som det går att se hur många delar hänger ihop går det att visa på att en effekt kan ge positiva utslag inom alla tre hållbarhetsperspektiv samtidigt, vilket på så sätt uppfyller kriterierna för att uppnå hållbarhet. Från en mer negativ syn är plattformar för digitala tvillingar i ett tidigt skede en kostsam lösning, speciellt om kunden är i behov av fler tjänster för implementering som för mindre bolag därför kan vara svåra att finansiera.

This thesis deals with asset management of structures through Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Digital Twins. Background: Current inspection and management processes for civil structures are time-consuming and can even be inaccurate. There is an increasingly high potential to improve these processes through recent advances in technology. Digital Twins offer a common platform to these technologies, so they can interact and be used to their optimal performance. Other industries have significantly advanced in the development of Digital Twins, however, in the construction industry there are still many gaps and room for improvement. Aim and objectives: The main aim of this project was to investigate the status of Digital Twins in the construction industry and propose a methodology for a Digital Twin for asset management of structures. The three immediate objectives sought are (i) Perform a literature review to establish the current practice with digital twins, in both construction and other industries, and what are the gaps for asset management of structures; (ii) Participate in a pilot experimental program that yields data to a potential digital twin prototype; and (iii) Define a methodology for a digital twin for asset management of structures which fills the identified gaps. Methods of investigation: A literature review was performed and served as basis for the development of a methodology for a digital twin. A pilot experimental program was defined and performed, and its results were used for BIM and Finite Element (FE) models. A webapp was also created using Autodesk Forge and Java programming language, andthe BIM model was uploaded into it. Results: The literature review provided insight into the maturity level of digital twins, as well as on bridge inspection, maintenance and monitoring, BIM, facility and asset management, and Bridge Management Systems (BMS). A methodology to achieve a digital twin for asset management was proposed, and the conducted experimental program yielded data results to be used in future research. Conclusion: There has been significant progress in technology to improve structural assessment and analysis, however, their full potential is still under-explored. A digital twin created in a common data environment can provide a platform for these technologies to improve efficiency of current practices. Nonetheless, the construction industry is still significantly behind other industries such as aerospace and automotive.

Ports are actively pursuing greater operational efficiency to effectively handle the increasing global flow of goods, while striving to improve the energy efficiency of their operations to comply with new environmental regulations. As a result, innovation-leading ports have begun to recognize the potential of digital twins to overview, coordinate and optimize port processes, resulting in energy savings, and reductions of costs and of CO2 emissions. While digital twins have gained momentum in other domains such as smart manufacturing and aerospace, their adoption in ports has been comparatively slow. This can be explained, among other things, by the multi-stakeholder nature of the port and the high complexity of the often interconnected port processes. Thus, this thesis, grounded in the context of ports, discusses what constitutes a digital twin, proposes characteristics to assess the maturity of existing digital twins, and introduces and evaluates mathematical models to support a key port process, which can be used as components of a digital twin for the port. / Hamnar strävar aktivt efter ökad operativ effektivitet för att hantera den ökande globala varuflödet, samtidigt som de strävar efter att förbättra energieffektiviteten. Som ett resultat har ledande hamnar börjat se potentialen hos digitala tvillingar för att skapa överblick samt koordinera och optimera processer i hamnen. Målet med användningen av digitala tvillingar är energibesparingar samt minskning av kostnader och CO2-utsläpp. Medan digitala tvillingar har använts inom andra områden såsom tillverknings-, flyg- och rymdindustrin, har införandet i hamnar varit jämförelsevist långsamt. Detta kan förklaras, bland annat, av hamnens många olika involverade aktörer och den höga komplexiteten i de ofta sammanlänkade hamnprocesserna. Därför fokuserar denna avhandling, med utgångspunkt i hamnkontexten, vad som utgör en digital tvilling, presenterar egenskaper för olika mognadsnivåer hos befintliga digitala tvillingar, och introducerar samt utvärderar matematiska modeller som kan bli delkomponenter i en digital tvilling för hamnen.

<p dir="ltr">Recent advancements in Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and increasing computational power have driven significant progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, especially those that leverage ML techniques. These AI-enabled systems incorporate components and data designed to simulate learning and problem-solving, distinguishing them from traditional systems. Despite their widespread application across various industries, certifying AI systems through verification and validation remains a formidable challenge. This difficulty primarily arises from the probabilistic nature of AI and ML components, which leads to unpredictable behaviors.</p><p dir="ltr">This dissertation investigates the verification and validation aspects within the Systems Engineering (SE) lifecycle, utilizing established frameworks and methodologies that support system realization from inception to retirement. It is comprised of three studies focused on applying formal methods, particularly model checking, to enhance the accuracy, value, and trustworthiness of models of engineered systems that use digital twins for modeling the system. The research analyzes digital twin data to understand physical asset behavior more thoroughly by applying both an exploratory method, system identification, and a confirmatory technique, machine learning. This dual approach not only aids in uncovering unknown system dynamics but also enhances the validation process, contributing to a more robust modeling framework.</p><p dir="ltr">The findings provide significant insights into the model-based design of AI-enabled digital twins, equipping systems engineers<del>,</del> and researchers with methods for effectively designing, simulating and modeling complex systems. Ultimately, this work aims to bridge the certification gap in AI-enabled technologies, thereby increasing public trust and facilitating the broader adoption of these innovative systems.</p>

Throughout history, humans have proven to develop and improve their quality of life constantly. Incorporating mechanical principles into otherwise manual labor was one such aspect. Today, introducing mechanization to the industry and steam power is regarded as the first industrial revolution. Since then, a second and a third have followed, introducing concepts such as electricity, automation, computers, and computerization. Finally, in 2011 the fourth industrial revolution was introduced as Industry 4.0 by a project started in Germany, which considers digitalization. Industry 4.0 uses concepts such as Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. The goal of these concepts is to be able to further the capabilities of automation in the industry, creating smart factories. A problem experienced today when making changes to the production line is that an immense amount of hard coding is required for the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) controlling the system as well as for the system controlling the factory. The Eclipse Arrowhead Framework addresses these issues by applying a particular set of parameters to all systems within the IT infrastructure. The Arrowheadframework offers parameters such as orchestrator, authorization, and a service registry to each system incorporated within the framework. By applying this, the System of Systems (SoS) and the parameters provided by the Arrowhead framework create a local cloud. In doing so, each system within a factory belongs to its local cloud, building a factory made of a cluster of local clouds. By applying the ideas of Industry 4.0, a proof of concept is created, showing that today’s industry would benefit from using the concepts stated above with digital twins. The thesis explores and proves that, with the help of digital twins, today’s industry can cut down on manufacturing process development. In addition, it reduces the time it takes to apply changes to the production line by enabling machine learning to facilitate human interaction. A model factory created by fischertechnik is used, together with a PLC, as the physical twin in this master thesis. In addition, using Siemens Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software NX, a digital twin is created; this digital twin will communicate with the physical twin to simulate the behavior of the physical twin in real-time. A server has been created and is acting as a hub of communication for both of the twins. The use of the digital twin to communicate with the physical twin will enable tremendous advances in automation regarding industry 4.0.

The market has been evolving lately, with the introduction of more and more digital tools that industries are making use to improve their overall operations within the Production process. The integration of digital tools within the Product realization process has major advantages in improving production performance. Many large industries make use of digital tools to digitize their products making them smart products. Implementing these digital tools can be beneficial for reshaping the organization which can lead to better customer satisfaction and improve business strategy. This project explores different digital tools that can be integrated with the product realization process and how these tools contribute to the different production development phases. This thesis presents a detailed study of the digital tools Simulation, Visualization, Emulation, and Digital twins which can be integrated with the product development process. A pre-study is conducted to gather knowledge regarding the application of these tools and further discover how these tools can support the Product realization process and is used to describe which tool works best at which stage of the product realization process, which can be used to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the production process. Implementing these digital tools within the production facility can be associated to smart factory paradigm of the Fourth industrial revolution Industry4.0.This research aims to contribute to the use of digital tools in the production processes and aids in bridging the gap between traditional and modern manufacturing methods. The outcome of this study is to clarify how the above-mentioned digital tools are linked to the product realization process to support an efficient and digitalized production development, also mentioning the strengths and weaknesses of these tools. The resulting analysis has provided a framework developed to support an efficient digitalized production development and preparation process for assembly tasks utilizing human and robot collaboration. This research paper can be used as a guide for companies that want to explore how implementing digital tools in their product realization process and how it may improve their productivity.

The design and construction of high-performance buildings have emerged as a preferred solution for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, sometimes there is a considerable gap between the design performance and the actual performance of the buildings. Post Occupancy Evaluations (POE) provide tools to quantify the performance relative to the occupant's health, well-being, and comfort. POE is getting widely accepted to obtain feedback for various parameters such as water, energy, indoor environmental quality, and occupant comfort. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be derived based on the obtained feedback to determine the performance gaps. POE has evolved to be a robust scientific methodology; however, traditional methods of conducting POE have been proven time-consuming, inconsistent, and inefficient. This research aims to conceptualize the next generation of post occupancy evaluations that leverages cutting-edge technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things based sensors (IoT), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and digital twins. The key contributions of this research are presented in a series of manuscripts. In the first paper, the gaps in the existing POE were determined by conducting a thorough literature review. The observed gaps were classified in data collection, analysis, and visualization categories. Broader POE definition, spot measurements of parameters, and 2D plans and charts for visualization made the existing POE procedure time-consuming. Using digital twins that combine the geometric and parametric data from BIM models and built-environment data from GIS and sensor measurements were recommended as potential solutions to address the observed gaps. The second paper explored the application of BIM-IoT-GIS integration to conduct POE. Use case scenarios were developed to derive system requirements to host the BIM-IoT-GIS-integrated POE. Four sequential tests were conducted to integrate a BIM model from Revit and sensors' data from Excel with ArcGIS pro that contained the surrounding environment data. Based on lessons learned from the tests, an optimized workflow was recommended that can be used across a variety of projects. The third paper used the BIM-IoT-GIS-integration concept to create a holistic proof of concept for digital-twin-enabled POE. The proof of concept was validated by conducting a digital-twin-based POE on the STTC building on the Red River College campus in Winnipeg. The indoor thermal comfort was visualized within the STTC digital twin developed in ArcGIS Pro. The preliminary energy consumption analysis concluded that the STTC buildings' average energy savings were approximately 70,000 KWH/year. The potential users for digital-twin-enabled POE were presented with a comparison of iv existing POE and digital-twin-based POE over a survey and a focus group discussion. Based on opinion-based feedback, the conclusion can be made that digital twins improve the overall efficiency of POE. The fourth paper recommended the digital-twin-enabled POE procedure for UVic's engineering expansion project. It established the semantics for POE, followed by a digital twin execution plan that can be used for developing a digital twin during each phase (from planning to operations) of the project. Furthermore, the benefits of the digital-twin-enabled POE procedure were demonstrated by comparison with the existing POE procedure relative to the project phases. This study concluded that conducting the POE on the UVic ECS expansion project will enable the researchers to determine the effectiveness of sustainable features by comparing the performance of existing and proposed facilities. In conclusion, BIM-IoT-GIS-integrated digital twins address the limitations of data collection, analysis, and visualization. These digital twins will enable multi-objective analysis and spatial-temporal visualization and provide deeper insights into the way these high-performance buildings function. / Graduate / 2023-05-24

Bygg- och fastighetsbranschen präglas av långsam digitaliserings takt där bristande dokumentation förekommer och i vissa fall försvårar beslutsfattningsmoment. Digitala tvillingar är kända för att effektivisera fastighetsförvaltning och bidra till bättre beslutsfattning. Trots det är det många som inte har hört talas om digitala tvillingar. Mot bakgrund av att det är ett outforskat område undersöker denna studie beslutsfattningsmomentet med digital tvilling inom bygg- och fastighetsbranschen. Studiens resultat baseras på intervjuer med ett stort byggföretag och en digital-tvilling-leverantör. Det framgår att en digital tvilling kan bestå av en eller flera av delarna: 3D- scanning, sensorer samt tilläggsfunktioner såsom analyser, styrning och olika applikationer, varav definitionen av en digital tvilling varierar. Resultatet visar att 3D scanning är särskilt lämpligt när det kommer till ombyggnationer och relationshandlingar (det verkliga utförandet av byggnaden), varav sensorer är användbara inom beslutsfattning utifrån prediktivt underhåll, mätning av nyttjande och energiuppföljning. Vidare framkommer det att tillägg av analyser kan föreslå lämpliga beslut och att styrning kan möjliggöra digital fastighetsskötsel, medan AI moduler kan ersätta den mänskliga beslutsfattningen. Utifrån det empiriska materialet som framkom tillämpades situationsmedvetenhet som teoretiskt ramverk för att förklara hur digitala tvillingar kan bidra med dokumentation som leder till bättre uppfattning och förståelse för omgivningen, vilket möjliggör mer välgrundade beslut. Slutligen konstaterar studien att utformningen av digitala tvillingar och dess funktioner avgör hur de kan användas vid beslutsfattning, något som gör kravställningen av dessa till en avgörande aspekt. / The construction and real estate industry is characterized by a slow rate of digitization and lack of documentation, which in some cases makes decision-making difficult. Digital twins are known to contribute to more efficient property management and better decision-making. Despite this, many people have not heard of digital twins. Since it is an unexplored area, this study examines the decision-making with digital twins in the construction and real estate industry. The study's results are based on interviews with a large construction company and a digital twin supplier. It appears that a digital twin can consist of one or more of the parts: 3D scanning, sensors and additional functions such as analyses, control and various applications, where the definition of a digital twin varies. The result shows that 3D scanning is particularly suitable when it comes to reconstruction and as-built documents. Sensors appear to be useful in decision-making according to predictive maintenance, measurement of utilization and energy follow-up. Furthermore, it appears that digital twin analyses can suggest appropriate decisions and that control can enable digital property management, while AI modules can replace human decision-making. Based on the empirical material, situational awareness was applied as a theoretical framework to explain how digital twins can contribute with documentation that leads to a better perception and understanding of the environment, enabling more informed decisions. The study thus states that the design of digital twins determine how they can be used in decision-making, something that makes the requirements of these a vital aspect.