Digital Twin Technology Saves the Life of a BridgeDigital Twin Technology Saves the Life of a Bridge

A failing bridge was repaired through the use of digital twin technology.

Rob Spiegel

September 20, 2022

1 Min Read
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Image courtesy of Alamy

While digital twin technology is often associated with product design, development, and manufacturing, it has also become useful – sometimes essential – in the construction industry.

The digital twin can become an exact digital replica of a construction project or asset: A building or group of buildings, a bridge, a highway, a city block, or even an entire city. Digital twins in construction can also be called data twins, virtual models, or even next-generation as-built drawings.

 

Recently, the digital twin of the Stava bridge in Norway sounded an alarm from the cloud that the bridge was failing. The alarm reached the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) offices. They were able to immediately divert traffic and avoid any injuries.

The NPRA director of technology, Trond Michael Andersen, explained that IoT sensors increased safety and also helped to reduce the costs of repairing or replacing the country’s 5,800 bridges. Marit Reiso, senior technical project manager at SAP Norway, explained that a digital twin model was created by the sensor data continuously to help in the repair work on the bridge.

 

About the Author

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer covering sustainability issues, including the transistion in electronic components to RoHS compliance. Rob was hired by Design News as senior editor in 2011 to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to his work with Design News, Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He served as contributing editolr to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Ecommerce Times, and many other trade publications. He is the author of six books on small business and internet commerce, inclluding Net Strategy: Charting the Digital Course for Your Company's Growth.

He has been published in magazines that range from Rolling Stone to True Confessions.

Rob has won a number of awards for his technolloghy coverage, including a Maggy Award for a Design News article on the Jeep Cherokee hacking, and a Launch Team award for Ecommerce Business. Rob has also won awards for his leadership postions in the American Marketing Association and SouthWest Writers.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication. He has published hundreds of poems and scores of short stories in national publications.

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