Ulster University along with the Alan Turing Institute and Cambridge and Exeter Universities has secured funding in excess of £3 million from UK Research and Innovation to establish and lead a new digital twin research network. The new inter-disciplinary research network will include stakeholders from academia, government and industry to help transform the UK’s national capability in digital twinning.
A digital twin can be described as a computational model designed to replicate a physical object or process, according to Professor Dewar Finlay, Ulster’s lead investigator on the project and head of the university’s school of engineering. This can range from a virtual copy of a single structure, such as a bridge, to more complicated infrastructure, such as an entire city. They can help offer insights into how an object or process is working, allowing the opportunity to dramatically improve its functionality.
Ulster already has an established track record in the technology and its application in areas such as cardiovascular health and advanced manufacturing and materials. Researchers at the university are working on developing improved heart pumps for heart transplant patients by using digital twin modelling to test it. The researchers are looking at how to improve efficiency and charging, as well as how to design one for infants.
We want to establish a sustainable community and use the funding to sow the seeds of ideas for future research projects
Another piece of research is looking at electrical activity on the surface of the heart muscle. “We have gathered ECG data from a large number of subjects,” says Prof Finlay. “We put that data into a model and have been able to use it to predict electrical activity on the surface of the heart.” That is particularly useful, as there is no way to do that clinically. It also has other uses.
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Ulster researchers are also building digital twins of car engines to see how they will perform under different temperatures and driving conditions, with varying fuel types and other scenarios in order to develop new and more efficient ways to enhance their performance.
In the materials space, early-stage development work using digital twin modelling has begun on the potential to manufacture aircraft wings using fabrics woven on looms.
It is hoped that the latest funding award will help develop game-changing breakthroughs that will lead to a new generation of intelligent, resilient and trusted digital twins. Ulster University will play a leadership role in the project that will see coordination of a range of network activities over the course of the next five years. These activities will include networking events, special interest group activity such as white papers and roadmaps, sandpit events and outreach activities.
Very importantly, the project will also fund pilot and feasibility studies that will enable proof of concept work on digital twin topics, relevant to the project themes. The network will initially focus on several opportunity sectors – a number of which are aligned with significant ongoing activities at Ulster. These include the Ulster University-led £38 million Centre for Digital Health Technologies (CDHT) and the £90 million Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC).
According to Finlay, this combination of network support and funding for early stage proof of concept research is known as network plus. “It’s a unique funding instrument,” he says. “Over the course of the five years, members will be able make bids to get funds for proof of concept research. That research may develop into further collaborations or projects with commercial potential.”
The network piece is also important, he adds. “It will allow us to build a fully coherent community around digital twinning. It’s not healthcare or manufacturing-specific. We want to establish a sustainable community and use the funding to sow the seeds of ideas for future research projects.”
The project is a timely development for Ulster as it aligns with the university’s ongoing activity in building capacity to conduct digital twin research. “An example of this is our recent investment in the installation of digital twin infrastructure in conjunction with Dell Technologies. These developments reflect our recognition that digital twins have the potential to play a key underpinning role across our entire research portfolio,” says Finlay.
“The network plus format is particularly appealing, as it not only provides funds for networking and dissemination activity, but also provides funds for pilot research activities,” he concludes. “This will provide an excellent opportunity for our researchers, and particularly those at an early career stage, to secure funds to support their work relevant to digital twins.”