Podcast: Digital twin applications for air cargo

Digital twin technology enables air cargo operators to visualize how new technologies will integrate into operations in real time, reducing overall costs and improving efficiency within a highly accurate and immersive digital environment. 

Brussels Airport (BRU) recently invested in a digital twin in the form of a 3D virtual replica of the airport to determine which sustainable technologies would best reduce its carbon emissions and how to implement them.  

This trend is catching on at other airports. 

In fact, 73% of aerospace companies plan to implement digital twin technology into their long-term operations, according to a study conducted by strategy consulting company Capgemini in 2023. Only 57% had planned to do so in 2022, according to the company. 

In this episode of “On Air with Air Cargo Next,” hear a discussion on how digital twin technology can solve problems in the air cargo industry with the following experts: 

• Greg Porter, principal solutions architect at IT services and consulting company Sev1Tech;  
• Bob Fudickar, executive director at the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Office of Research and Economic Development at Louisiana State University (LSU) and NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility;
• Derick Ostrenko, associate professor at the School of Art and the Center for Computation and Technology at LSU; and
• Marc Aubanel, director of digital media, arts and engineering at LSU.

Air cargo applications 

The technology can be applied to almost any industry, from aviation to life sciences and agriculture. Sev1Tech’s Porter told Air Cargo Next that, with AI, digital twins can now help solve roadblocks to:  

• Sustainability;  
• technology integration;  
• infrastructure modernization, and more.  

Digital twins “transform business by being able to accelerate [a] holistic understanding of data across the business … and help optimize decision-making, and drive actions,” Porter said.  

They use “real–time and historical data to represent both the past and the present, and then do what we call ‘front–running simulations’ to simulate predicted features as well,” he added. “Digital twins are really motivated by the outcomes. And they need to be tailored to use cases.” 

Listen to the full episode on digital twins and their role in air cargo below. 

Register here for Air Cargo Next’s upcoming webinar, “Air Cargo and Pharma: Using Technology to Save Lives,” on Tuesday, June 18, at 11 a.m. ET.  

Air Cargo Next has launched a business directory listing cargo carriers, service providers and technology companies. Each category has sub-categories, allowing users to find the right business to meet their needs. Users can also add their businesses to the directory and claim existing entries. Visit the Air Cargo Next Directory.