The 2nd Digital Twin International Conference (DigiTwin 2022) was held from September 26th to 28th, 2022, with remarkable success. Under the guidance of the Digital Twin International Advisory Committee, the conference was hosted by the University of New South Wales, the Digital Twin journal, and the Taylor & Francis Group, and co-organized by the Digital Twin International Research Center at Beihang University and the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems. Due to the epidemic, DigiTwin 2022 was conducted online via Zoom and Tencent Meeting. DigiTwin 2022 attracted over 1,900 experts and scholars worldwide.

Center on hot topics and emerging trends in the field of digital twin, DigiTwin 2022 brought renowned scholars worldwide together to share the latest scientific research advancements, discuss academic communications and collaborations on technological frontiers, and promote the integrated development in the field of digital twin.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of DigiTwin 2022 was hosted by Professor Ang Liu, the chairman of the DigiTwin 2022 Conference and a professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Professor Qinping Zhao, a Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering and an Honorary Advisor of the Digital Twin journal, delivered a welcome address.


In his welcome address, Professor Zhao addressed that digital twin has become a research and practical hotspot in various industries across the world, and the DigiTwin conferences provide a great opportunity for sharing ideas and discussing research advancements in the field of digital twin. The Digital Twin journal and the DigiTwin will become important platforms for researchers to obtain academic information, publish research works, and conduct academic collaborations.

Ms. Rebecca Lawrence, General Manager of F1000, Taylor & Francis Publishing Group; Mr. Hong Yingyuan, President of Taylor & Francis Group China; and Professor Fei Tao from Beihang University, Chairman of DigiTwin 2022 Conference, Chief Advisor of the Digital Twin journal, delivered their welcome addresses, respectively.

Keynote

DigiTwin 2022 had the honor of inviting several distinguished experts to deliver keynote speeches. These included Professor Andrew Y. C. Nee from the National University of Singapore, a Member of the Singapore Academy of Engineering, CIRP, and SME; Professor Sisi Zlatanova from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and Chair of the Technical Commission IV “Spatial Information Science” of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS); Professor Mark Enzer from the University of Cambridge, Director of the UK Centre for Digital Built Britain, Head of the UK National Digital Twin Programme, and Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering; and Professor Lihui Wang from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, a Member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of CIRP, AET, SME, and ASME.

Professor Andrew Y. C. Nee delivered a keynote speech titled “Is Digital Twin Technology a Standalone Tool,” introducing indispensable technologies for the operation of digital twins and emerging technologies with significant potential.

Professor Sisi Zlatanova delivered a keynote speech titled “Spatial Digital Twins for Smart Cities,” discussing the importance of spatial digital twins for smart cities through project examples and addressing the challenges and future research directions of geospatial data integration.

Professor Mark Enzer delivered a keynote speech titled “The Future is Connected – Ecosystems of Connected Digital Twins,” where he explained the concept of interconnected digital twin ecosystems, introduced current developments, and outlined the conditions necessary for achieving such ecosystems.

Professor Lihui Wang’s keynote speech, titled “Digital Twin-Enabled Advanced Execution for HRC Assembly,” detailed the role of digital twin technology in enabling human-robot collaborative assembly. In addition, he discussed the current state and implementation methods of relevant technologies and highlighted existing challenges and future opportunities in this research area.

Sessions

Over the three days of the 26th, 27th, and 28th, 14 sessions were held, during which 92 experts and scholars delivered their presentations. These presentations, focusing on various cutting-edge topics within the field of digital twins, were engaging and insightful, attracting numerous professionals from related fields. The audience actively engaged by asking questions orally in the virtual meeting rooms and through chat windows. The presenting experts provided comprehensive responses and interacted extensively with the audience, showcasing the innovative vitality of scientific workers in advancing technology.

Awards and Closing Ceremony

The awards ceremony was chaired by Professor Xiaojun Liu, the chairman of the DigiTwin 2022 Award Committee from Southeast University. After rigorous work conducted by the Award Committee, the conference has selected the recipients for the Highly Cited Paper Award, Best Paper Award, Best Presentation Award, and Best Organization Contribution Award. In addition, Professor Andrew Y.C. Nee, Professor Lihui Wang, and Professor Fei Tao were invited to present awards to the winners.

Professor Nabil Anwer from Paris-Saclay University provided a preview of the third Digital Twins International Conference (DigiTwin 2023). The theme of DigiTwin 2023 is “Making Digital Twins for a Changing World,” and it will be held in Paris, France, from October 4th to 6th, 2023. Experts and scholars are warmly invited to attend and participate in the conference.

Professor Ang Liu hosted the closing ceremony and expressed his appreciation for the scholars and experts who attended the conference and formally concluded the conference. DigiTwin 2022 fully showcased the innovative developments and diverse applications in the current research on digital twins, promoting academic sharing and industrial collaboration. This conference has contributed to the enhancement of the research and application levels of digital twin technology.

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