ABSTRACT
In recent years, digital twin technology has become a hub for industry and academia. The evolution and developments in Industry 4.0 facilitate the use of digital twins especially in the manufacturing industry, data analytics, and the Internet of Things. In generating automated data, the mechanism of simple integration of data between a physical and virtual machine is called a digital twin. The growth of digital assets has attracted digital twins using proper communications. This chapter provides a general overview of digital twin technology. Starting with the introduction to the concept, the chapter will discuss the challenges intrinsic to it and outline its various applications in multiple domains. The chapter then discusses the enabling technologies that support digital twin development and clearly articulates their roles and contributions. This is then followed by a critical review of previous work that can be grouped into particular areas of domains such as healthcare, manufacturing, and smart cities. This analysis yields hints for the current state of research on digital twins, determining dominant trends. Finally, the chapter closes by sketching open directions for future work related to digital twins and an assessment of its potential impact in enabling technologies, which again points towards a forward-looking perspective of digital twins for the future.
