Deep Dive: Digital Twin Technology for Maritime Simulation
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The digital twin is a fast-moving technology sector in the simulation and training community, advancing alongside XR, AI, data analysis and other enablers. There are compelling reasons S&T companies and training enterprises across high-risk communities are investing in digital twin technology. While organizations focus like a laser on training to maintain safe work environments, they are also under pressures to recruit, train and retain new workforce members as high-risk industries are seeing an exodus of Baby Boomers and other maturing workforce members.
This article is one in an occasional series of pieces on technology enablers in safety critical community training enterprises. This brief report provides perspectives from two S&T companies on the evolution of this technology and their use of digital twin in their portfolios – with the focus in this case on supporting commercial maritime community customers.
Reference Points
The commercial maritime community’s emerging, high-level requirements for training and safety have been heard loud and clear, according to Maciej Kniter, Marketing Manager at Flint Systems. The corporate manager framed this discussion by noting prospective customers are increasingly seeking highly immersive and realistic training environments that simulate real-world maritime operations. Kniter added the market simply needs training solutions that can replicate existing environment because this is the condition that makes training truly effective.
Enter digital twin technology, whose primary function, according to David Kim, CEO and IX Designer at Samwoo Immersion, is to simulate real-world equipment, enabling data analysis and predictive insights, which are then used to enhance productivity in industries.
The community authority provided several other vital data points. Kim then said Samwoo Immersion is actively proposing the implementation of digital twin technology to support a wide range of operational purposes in maritime simulation. He also interestingly established a taxonomy of sorts for digital twin use cases, pointing out, “Our approach to digital twin systems can be divided into two key areas: systems that provide maintenance and stability insights through real-time data collection, and systems that leverage simulation-based data analysis to evaluate optimal operating conditions.” The maintenance and stability-focused digital twins are designed to assist ship operators with real-time vessel management and monitoring. On the other hand, simulation-based digital twins offer significant value by analyzing data to recommend optimal operating environments, with high applicability in virtual factories and port logistics processes.
Fidelity
At this still early stage of digital twin maturation and initial use across diverse communities, there are challenges to optimizing this technology: including the cost to bring computational and other devices to bear to gain an accurate twin, and security. Yet, fidelity stands out as a larger technology hurdle for more complete implementation.
Flint Systems’ Kniter emphasized his company’s clients “do not want a simulator of a no-name crane or vehicle, they are interested in very exact machines. This is why we had to build the digital twin either on our own or use an existing model. Our machines in VR not only look and sound like real but their physics is reflected, too.”
The corporate marketing manager further emphasized it is difficult to reflect the machine 1:1 and, to that end, Flint Systems needs to know the real machine. He continued, “This is why our engineers, designers, developers and 3-D graphic designers become acquainted with the machine, talk with the operators, record sounds and make a lot of photos. The operators also participate in the phase of tests. It is all to make the training as real as possible.”
Digital twin realism is also a priority at Samwoo Immersion with the company tailoring the fidelity of its digital twin-based maritime simulation content to meet the specific requirements of its clients. Of interest, Kim pointed out full-scale realism is intentionally limited in some cases to avoid overwhelming users with too much information. “Instead, we enhance key elements through improved visual effects and UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design to create a more effective and engaging training experience.”
The corporate leader also drilled down a bit further when he revealed that to achieve high fidelity, Samwoo Immersion uses various techniques such as Point-Cloud data collection, BIM (Building Information Modeling) design blueprints, and on-site photography to accurately recreate environments. “Additionally, we leverage Unreal Engine's PBR (Physically Based Rendering) technology to ensure that the visual representation is as realistic as possible. The extent of realism is defined in close collaboration with each client, ensuring that the digital twin solution aligns with their operational and training needs.” This approach allows the company to maintain control over the development process, with much of the work being done in-house, although Samwoo Immersion remains open to collaborating with industry partners when necessary to meet specific technical or content requirements.
ROIs and the Value Proposition
Challenges aside, there are significant, early ROIs and a value proposition for using digital twin for training in the maritime and adjacent high-risk communities.
Samwoo Immersion’s Kim offered the core value of a digital twin system lies in its ability to integrate distributed information, ensuring the maintenance and stability of resources across a facility, and in collecting and analyzing simulation-based data to propose optimal operating conditions. Both of these functions are key technological components of a digital twin. He added, “However, implementing both technologies can be costly, and many companies remain hesitant to adopt digital twins until their effectiveness is clearly demonstrated. Despite this, organizations that have adopted the technology are enhancing their IoT [internet of things] infrastructure to apply digital twins more broadly across their operations.”
Flint Systems’ Kniter noted digital twins allow for more efficient and cost-effective training, as they reduce the need for physical resources and real vessels during practice sessions. “They also offer safer training environments where trainees can experience and respond to critical scenarios without real-world risks.”
Kniter’s perspectives for this article were influenced, in part, by one maritime training project Flint Systems has been working on since September. “This is a crew transfer vessel simulator for the Lithuanian Maritime Academy. We will deliver the simulator to the client in December. The project is about delivering a simulator of CTV that will be operating in the port of Klaipeda.”
Roadmap and Halldale’s Engagement
Samwoo Immersion’s Kim concluded that for the field of maritime training, with the rise of unmanned and autonomous vessels and the increasing demands of smart ports, digital twins offer tremendous potential. “They can link real-time data with virtual objects, integrate AI-based data analysis and prediction, and evolve into advanced decision-support systems powered by simulation technologies. This can create more realistic and effective training environments for the maritime industry.”
Follow-on articles will highlight digital twin’s evolution and increased use in the safety critical industries and adjacent communities covered by Halldale Group – in civil aviation and the military.
You can share your digital twin activities and progress with the author at marty.kauchak@halldale.com.
