The tech behind digital twins
“With SAS’s advanced analytics and Unreal Engine, GP created an amazing example for how a digital twin can create real-world value for businesses,” said Bill Clifford, Vice President and General Manager, Unreal Engine, Epic Games.
“SAS is opening the door for manufacturers to bring complex data and automated systems to life through 3D visuals. This will make high-fidelity, interactive digital twins more accessible so manufacturers can upgrade their operations, gain better real-time insights and save money.”
SAS software, including SAS Viya, helps turn massive amounts of data from factory operations and sensors into useful insights and smarter decisions. Part of the SAS offering connects UE simulations with Viya optimization routines.
By integrating Viya capabilities into digital environments, users can run realistic simulations to find the best solutions. Instead of testing these solutions in the real world – which can be time-consuming and expensive – businesses can use detailed and accurate digital twins to spot any issues they might have missed.
UE, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool, enables developers and creators to build interactive 3D experiences. Epic also operates Fortnite, battle testing the latest UE rendering technology in one of the world’s largest games. Epic makes this same technology available for use across games, film and television, architecture, automotive, simulation and other industries.
The fidelity of Unreal’s physics simulation and its next-generation lighting and refractive surface effects help create highly detailed and realistic digital models. These features allow manufacturers to visualize and interact with their operations in a digital environment, and when combined with advanced AI, lead to more accurate predictions and better business decisions.
Beyond the manufacturing floor
The enhanced digital twins offered by SAS and tapping UE make advanced analytics more accessible to a wider group of people with varying job roles and experience. In addition to data scientists and quantitative experts, frontline workers, machine operators and engineers can now more easily use data and AI.
SAS plans to extend these capabilities to additional manufacturers and explore other industries that could benefit from enhanced digital twins.
For instance, in healthcare, these enhanced digital twins could significantly strengthen hospital operations by simulating and optimizing patient flows, predicting equipment maintenance and enriching staff training. This technology could improve patient outcomes, reduce operational costs and ensure resources are used efficiently.
Similarly, in urban planning, enhanced digital twins can model and optimize the development of smart cities, helping create more sustainable and livable urban environments.
