Original subtitles

[narrator] On Tomorrow's World Today

we explore the cutting edge advances that are shaping

four different worlds.

The world of Inspiration,

where the wonders of the natural world

amaze and inspire us.

The world of Creation,

where ideas come to life from traditional arts.

The world of Innovation,

where ideas and inventions move us all forward.

The world of Production,

where innovations are mass produced

to improve our lives.

From Inventionland world headquarters.

Here's your host, George Davison.

Hi, everybody. I'm George Davison.

In 2006, I created Inventionland,

an immersive, creative workspace.

Getting the design ideas that I had in my head,

turning them into sketches,

and then creating a model

in the actual, physical space.

It was a very labor-intensive act.

Architects and engineers,

they have to take so many things

into consideration when they're building.

From safety concerns, to lighting needs,

to making sure the final space,

it meets all your design goals.

And until you're in the finished project,

you really don't know

if it's all gonna come together

the way you hoped.

But what if I told you

that now there's a technology available,

that can put you in a finished building

before it's actually ready.

Digital twin technology

creates a virtual simulation

of any space in the real world.

You can build a model of something

and then use virtual reality to experience first hand

what it's actually like to be inside that space.

I'm sending Greg

to the worlds of Innovation and Production

to explore exactly how this technology works.

He's heading to Redmond, Washington,

to meet with one of the largest software companies in the world.

They're not only innovating digital twin technology,

they're using it.

[Greg] Imagine you're building a building.

Now, imagine you're using powerful software

to make changes in a digital world

to that physical space

while you're planning or even in construction.

Say you wanna change the location of some windows

after you learn what peak sunlight hours are.

Or maybe solve some other HVAC issues

before they become problems.

Well, digital twins enable companies

to make virtual representations

of any tangible object.

It could be a car or an elevator,

or even a whole building.

They can help with energy distribution

and efficiency issues,

traffic flow, even accessibility.

Now imagine you're building a state-of-the-art facility

like the one behind me.

You'd wanna be sure to factor in anything

that would come into play during construction.

Well, with a digital twin,

you can replicate and simulate

exactly what you're building in the real world.

I'm in Redmond, Washington,

at the Redmond East campus of Microsoft.

Let's meet now with Kathleen Mitford.

-Hi, Kathleen. -Hey, Greg.

Welcome to Microsoft.

Thank you very much, I'm very excited to be here.

Now, digital twins are basically virtual representations

of either a physical space or an object.

And I'm really excited to find out how that works and what you do with it.

Let's go take a look.

So, Kathleen, the idea of a digital twin

is not necessarily a new one.

Tell me about the development.

Yeah, the concept of a digital twin

actually dates back to Apollo 13 and NASA

where they used a replica of the orbiting spacecraft

to troubleshoot problems.

With advances in technology,

we can now create virtual representations

of complex systems.

Including the physical object, the space,

and the relationship between them.

With this digital twin,

we can then remotely monitor,

simulate and adapt to changes in the environment,

allowing us to create better products and services

in a safer, more sustainable way.

So, where they used a physical model,

you're using a virtual model,

and consequently you're able to get

more immediate feedback.

So, what are some of the other applications and industries

where this could be used?

Yeah, this relates to a variety

of different industries,

from automotive, energy, even to education.

Let me give you an example.

Let me give you a manufacturing example.

Imagine that we have a worker on the factory floor

working on an asset, maybe having a problem.

He's there in the physical environment,

and he can then communicate with somebody who is remote,

maybe a more experienced technician

who's looking at a digital representation,

a digital twin,

of what's happening there on the factory floor,

giving him immediate feedback.

Great, well, I'd really like to see more

about how this actually works.

Well, Greg, I have a surprise for you.

Let's go meet Marcus.

Greg, meet Marcus.

-Hi, Marcus. -Why, hello.

Marcus has your surprise.

I need to get back to work, but you're in great hands.

Thanks a lot, Kathleen.

-Thanks, Greg. -Yeah, thank you.

So, what's my surprise?

Well, let me show you, Greg.

Well, we're looking at the Redmond East campus here,

so 72 acres, 17 buildings.

At any one time, how many people

might be working at this facility?

As many as 12,000 people

may be working within these facilities.

Now, the digital twin technology,

how would that come into play

as far as the construction of the campus?

For the new Redmond East campus,

we've modeled everything,

even down to the lightbulbs in the site lighting.

This enables us to be far more precise

in our planning and the subsequent construction.

This is especially important considering Microsoft's sustainability goals.

Is there an even better way maybe that I can get a look

at how the technology really works?

Yeah, Greg, we're gonna teleport you right here into the square.

[Greg] So you're gonna teleport me into there?

So now Microsoft has shrink rays?

[Marcus chuckles] Not yet.

But with this Microsoft HoloLens,

you'll be able to view all that model content in the first person.

So I have to just put this on my head?

Yeah.

Well, Marcus, if I'm going in,

you're going with me.

We'll guide you through.

[Greg] Digital twin technology is changing the way we build.

I'm at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington,

and now it's time to explore just what this looks like

with interactive goggles.

Well, let's take, uh, take a walk.

[Marcus] Yeah, as you can see within the square,

you could see where you typically have

your informal meetings of your lunches, right here.

So you can experience that digitally

before you ever would physically.

[Greg] So, everything that we're seeing

in our glasses right now

is exactly how things will be once construction is complete.

Yes, it will. And this is really what is used

for planning and design,

especially when it comes to the sustainability efforts here at Microsoft.

And so, as you can see,

we've included a lot of native trees into our design.

And this would be where we'd have that discussion

of where we would place them and how many we would have.

[Greg] So, when you get the whole group together,

you'll have people who might be elsewhere in the country

or maybe even around the globe

and you can all talk about

what this space is gonna look like

when things are done.

And somebody might be able to say, "Well,

I think that this might be a great space for a green space."

But one of the other engineers or project managers

may say, "Well, that's where an HVAC unit is gonna go,

so we can't do that."

And that can all be discussed.

[Marcus] Yeah, and that's the efficacy of a digital twin

is being able to have that conversation

and make those changes digitally,

before they're physical.

And so it's a lot cheaper and more effective to do it that way.

Okay, so we've seen the square now,

taking a little bit of a walk.

Can you take me over to where the ball fields will eventually be?

[Marcus] Yes, here we go.

And here we are.

[Greg] What would be the point for Microsoft to have

these athletic fields right on campus?

[Marcus] It's just one of the many wellness elements

that we've included in the design

of the new Redmond East campus.

[Greg] Okay, so you have both soccer, football,

you even have a cricket pitch.

[Marcus] Yes, we wanted to be inclusive of international sports

and really give the opportunity

for our employees to play new games outside.

Well, now, as I'm looking around,

I'm noticing that there's not a lot of opportunity

for vehicular traffic.

Where are all the cars?

[Marcus] Right beneath my feet is 2.8 million square feet of parking garage.

As well as we've taken all the surface streets

and put them underground.

So, whenever you get deliveries or truck traffic,

that all happens beneath our feet?

Yes, it does. It was really meant to make the campus

a far more walkable experience.

So, if you're on your bike or you're just heading,

heading for a walk down to the cricket pitch, no cars in the way?

Exactly.

Well, Marcus, this has been really great.

Is there anything else that you would like for me to see right now?

Well, do you have your passport on you?

I most certainly do.

Well, I guess we're sending you to Germany.

Excellent. Well, I'm gonna shake your virtual hand,

and be off.

I'll see you later.

And here we are, in Rottweil, Germany.

To find out more about how digital twin technology

is being used in the creation of MULTI,

a really innovative and groundbreaking

ropeless elevator technology.

Let's head over now to that tower

to learn more about an elevator

tailor-made for tomorrow's world.

Hi, Moe.

-Hi, Greg. Nice to see you. -Nice to see you, too.

Hey, let me introduce you to Aram, from TK Elevators.

Aram, pleasure.

Hi, Greg, nice to meet you.

So, MULTI is a game-changing

and really innovative technology.

I can't wait to learn more about it.

Yes, it is. Welcome to our Research Innovation Center.

Come on, let me show you.

So, Aram, traditional elevator technology

has been around for over 150 years.

Why did it need to change?

So, urbanization is a megatrend.

More and more people live in cities,

and as more and more people live in cities,

they become denser and denser,

which requires us to build higher and higher.

Conventional rope elevators are actually limited

in how high they can go.

By eliminating the rope,

we can actually go as high as we want.

So what does that benefit the urbanization megatrend?

So, normally, when you would build higher buildings,

you would need more and more elevators

to transport the people up and down.

With MULTI,

you can actually limit or significantly reduce

the amount of shaft space that you need

to travel a high building.

So you get more people in a smaller space,

but because you're going higher and higher,

it doesn't feel overcrowded?

Exactly. Making cities a pleasant place to live.

Excellent, well, I can't wait to see

how this technology all operates.

-Can we get a look? -Yes! Please, let's go.

[Greg] Digital twin technology is changing the way we build in tomorrow's world.

I'm at TK Elevator,

exploring how this technology

is helping to create MULTI,

a ropeless elevator designed to make

mega-tall buildings more efficient.

Let's take a deeper dive

into how digital twin technology is making this

a more sustainable building choice

and a safer one.

So, this is MULTI?

Tell me about this innovative technology.

Yes, it is.

It's actually the world's first ropeless elevator for high-rise.

Instead of conventional ropes,

we took away the ropes

and replaced them with linear drive technology.

So, we placed electromagnets along the guide rails

and have permanent magnets

behind the cabin on this ledge.

So, we use electromagnetic forces

to either pull up the cabin

or control the downward movement of the elevator.

So, what were the advantages of getting rid

of the traditional shafts and ropes?

So, when you have super-tall buildings,

you actually need to travel in segments.

So, you would go from the ground floor

to something called a 'sky lobby',

where you have a second bank of elevators

that will take you to the destination floor.

So you need to change elevators.

With MULTI,

the need to switch elevators is gone, so you can essentially

get into the elevator cabin in the lobby

and go all the way up to your destination floor.

So you end up with just one smaller shaft

and you reclaim all of that space.

Exactly.

Now, as we mentioned,

traditional elevator technology has been around

for a long time, over 160 years.

People consider it to be very safe and reliable.

This is really innovative technology.

What makes it safe and reliable?

So, we have over 100 sensors per meter,

continuously collecting data.

And we can use this data to feed digital twins.

So, on top of these conventional means of safety,

we are deploying digital twin technology

to evaluate the safety of the system.

Totally. So, as we know already, a digital twin

is the digital replica of the physical world.

A digital twin can facilitate evaluating the safety aspects

of a machine while it's being designed and developed,

when it's deployed in the field and in operation,

and even for maintenance purposes.

Why don't we go upstairs

and dive deeper into digital twins?

Let's go.

All right, let's do it.

So, the digital twin gets updated in real time

with the data that is flowing from the sensors.

First, it can look in the past,

through historical data.

It's like travelling through time...

See what happens.

Second, it can use AI to look into future scenarios

that can potentially happen and predict.

And third, it can simulate various situations.

Like, the machine operates in extreme heat

or low humidity,

and see how the machine sustains itself

and operates itself.

Now, let's go take a look at the observation deck.

Okay.

Wow, gentlemen.

The observation deck is amazing.

And this view is out of this world.

And I certainly want to get out there and take a look at this,

but I still have a couple of questions.

So, tell me a little bit more

about how digital twin technology is used

both in the development phase

and then moves into operations.

So, as Moe mentioned before,

in the development process,

we can use the digital twin to simulate situations,

such as emergency brake situations,

that would be costly and cumbersome

to do in the physical world.

In operations,

the elevator that we just rode

actually has a real-time digital twin

where it's sending tower rich data

to the Microsoft Azure cloud.

Out of this data,

we are generating actionable insights

for our service technicians.

So, for example, helping them troubleshoot an elevator more efficiently,

or giving them actionable insights

about what they need to do on a maintenance visit

to prevent future failures.

So, let's remember,

digital twin is about fusing physical and digital worlds.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine a factory floor.

Technician trying to interact with a machine

on the factory floor.

We have the digital twin of the machine,

we have the digital twin of the factory floor.

The technician is wearing a HoloLens.

He or she can literally inspect and evaluate the machine

and make a decision to what the next step is for that particular situation.

Without digital twins,

we cannot have these models of interactions.

That is really just amazing.

So, this has been great, gentlemen

I wanna thank you both very much for your time.

And I wanna get out there now

and take a look at this view, come on!

Let's do that.

So, Kathleen is gonna be heading back to Inventionland,

she's gonna talk to George about digital twin technology,

Microsoft and Azure, and of course, MULTI, as well.

But oh, my goodness, gentlemen, look at this.

This view is incredible.

I can't believe that you guys get to come up here

and look at this all the time!

Yeah, it certainly is beautiful.

Hey, Aram, is this real or is it a digital twin?

[laughing]

I don't think we're quite there yet, Moe.

I'm sure it's coming really soon,

but that's the real thing, I could tell you that.

Well, gentlemen, thank you again.

Hope to see you both real soon.

[Aram] All right, see you later, Greg.

Hi, Kathleen, welcome to Inventionland.

Hi, George. This is Marcus.

He brought the HoloLens that we talked about on the phone.

Why, hello, George.

Hi, Marcus, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

So, with this HoloLens here,

we're gonna have you experience first-hand

the digital twin of the new Redmond East campus.

Well, that's exciting.

Oh, my gosh.

Wow!

So, am I looking at a digital twin

of Microsoft's campus right now?

[Marcus] So, with that HoloLens, you're viewing

all of the data that's being used

to describe our new Redmond East campus.

Oh, my gosh, that's exciting.

I see red trees...

It must be fall time.

I'd love to have lunch on that patio out there.

[Marcus] So, with this, you're actually seeing all of the native trees

that we've incorporated into the design.

Whoa, this is actually so beautiful.

What... Wait a minute, I'm coming into something else.

Wow, that's a good-looking structure.

I see a road.

I don't see any cars, though, Marcus.

What am I looking at here?

[Marcus] So, what you're looking at is one of the many sustainable design elements

that we've included in our East campus.

And that is utilizing sustainable timber.

Additionally, what you can see there

is an entrance to the sub-surface.

What we've done is we've taken

all the street-level traffic and put it below.

And that gave us a lot more room above

in making our campus a far more walkable experience.

Given the space we have,

we've been able to incorporate a lot of wellness elements,

like our new cricket pitch.

Oh, my gosh, you guys have thought of everything.

-Marcus. -[Marcus chuckles]

We try. Thanks, George.

Thank you.

Well, Kathleen, that was amazing.

I'd love to hear some more

about where digital twin technology is going.

Yeah, George, digital twins have been around for a while.

But technology, like Internet of Things, AI,

they add new capabilities to digital twins,

so that we can not only do things such as see

what's happened in the past

and see what's happening today,

but also be able to predict the future.

But what I get really excited about,

is I believe that digital twins

are gonna be more immersive,

they're gonna be more collaborative,

and they're going to be more accessible.

But in order for this to happen,

we need a couple things.

Number one, the glasses need to be smaller.

Number two,

to be able to wear them for a longer period of time,

and they need to be more affordable.

And when those things happen,

I think, like, you and I,

we're gonna be using digital twins in our everyday life.

That is exciting.

And actually, you've got me thinking

about something I've been working on.

And it's, we call it 'the park of the future'.

And I'd love to get this technology

to help us to design that park.

Well, George, I have a surprise for ya.

We're gonna leave you with a HoloLens

and the software you need to design your 'park of the future'.

-Thank you, Kathleen. -Thank you, George.

Bye, now.