Human Twins Research Articles

Digital Twins’ Advancements and Applications in Healthcare, Towards Precision Medicine

This review examines the significant influence of Digital Twins (DTs) and their variant, Digital Human Twins (DHTs), on the healthcare field. DTs represent virtual replicas that encapsulate both medical and physiological characteristics—such as tissues, organs, and biokinetic data—of patients. These virtual models facilitate a deeper understanding of disease progression and enhance the customization and optimization of treatment plans by modeling complex interactions between genetic factors and environmental influences. By establishing dynamic, bidirectional connections between the DTs of physical objects and their digital counterparts, these technologies enable real-time data exchange, thereby transforming electronic health records. Leveraging the increasing availability of extensive historical datasets from clinical trials and real-world sources, AI models can now generate comprehensive predictions of future health outcomes for specific patients in the form of AI-generated DTs. Such models can also offer insights into potential diagnoses, disease progression, and treatment responses. This remarkable progression in healthcare paves the way for precision medicine and personalized health, allowing for high-level individualized medical interventions and therapies. However, the integration of DTs into healthcare faces several challenges, including data security, accessibility, bias, and quality. Addressing these obstacles is crucial to realizing the full potential of DHTs, heralding a new era of personalized, precise, and accurate medicine.

CockpitGemini: A personalized design framework for smart vehicle cockpits integrating generative model-based multi-agent systems and human digital twins

The evolution of smart vehicle cockpits is transitioning from serving as mere driving tools to becoming intimate partners that significantly enhance user experiences through advanced technologies. This research addresses the growing demand for personalized design in smart vehicle cockpits by proposing a framework, CockpitGemini. This framework integrates generative model-based multi-agent systems and human digital twins, enabling tailored designs and services based on user preferences and real-time status. The capabilities of the proposed framework are illustrated through four dimensions: personalized product design, personalized interactive interface design, user state monitoring and personalized regulation, and personalized driving strategy recommendations. A case study on the design of personalized vehicle seats demonstrates the feasibility and usability of the CockpitGemini framework, highlighting its potential to enhance user satisfaction in smart vehicle cockpits.

Examining the Utility of the Mammalian Methylation Array for Pan-Mammalian Analysis of Monozygotic Twinning.

Human identical twins are born at a rate of 3-4 per 1000 live births. Many other mammals also occasionally produce monozygotic twins, referred to as sporadic polyembryony. The underlying mechanisms are unknown. Through epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), we identified a robust DNA methylation signature in somatic tissues from human monozygotic (MZ) twins, comprising 834 differentially methylated positions (MZ-DMPs). The results point to a connection between monozygotic twinning and early genome programming and enable new angles to study monozygotic twinning. The mammalian methylation array (MMA) measures 38,608 CpGs focusing on regions that are well-conserved across many mammalian species, allowing for pan-mammalian comparative epigenomic studies. Here, we successfully map human MZ-DMPs to probes of the mammalian methylation array across 157 mammalian genomes. As expected, based on the modest probe overlap between Illumina 450k/EPIC and mammalian methylation array probes, only a subset of MZ-DMPs reside in conserved regions covered by the mammalian methylation array. These include probes mapping to NPAS3, KLHL35, CASZ1, and ATP2B2. Re-analysis restricting the original EWAS in humans to conserved MMA regions yielded additional MZ-DMPs, suggesting that more loci may be detected by application of the mammalian array to monozygotic twins. In conclusion, the mammalian methylation array may prove to be a promising platform to study whether a shared DNA methylation signature of sporadic polyembryony exists across diverse mammalian species. This may potentially point to shared underlying mechanisms.

Birds as sacred ‘children of god’, beholders of spirit and symbols of twinhood: Human–bird interaction among the Nuer in western Ethiopia

Abstract The deep connection between Indigenous communities and nature plays a pivotal role in biodiversity conservation. Ethiopia, one of Africa's priority countries for bird conservation, harbours 821 bird species and 83 ethnic groups of Indigenous people. However, cultural and spiritual ties between Indigenous peoples and bird species remain largely unexplored. This is particularly true for remote Indigenous communities such as the Nuer. Relying on preexisting bird survey data, we conducted focussed group discussions and semi‐structured interviews with Indigenous Nuer in western Ethiopia to explore human–bird interactions and documented associated traditional ecological knowledge and considered their conservation implications. We found that Nuers have strong ties with birds. In Nuer community, birds are collectively known by three interchangeable terms: ‘gaatkuoth’ to mean sacred children of god, ‘kuoth’ meaning bearers of spirit and ‘diit’ symbols of human twins (since birds nurture multiple offspring, they associate the incidence of twins in human with birds). We identified 71 culturally important bird species that were used in seven different use categories. Among these species, 10 were used as bushmeat, five for traditional medicine, eight as fish indicators, seven as omens (believed to indicate upcoming misfortunes), three as amulets (believed to protect against danger when bird's body parts are used as necklaces and bracelets), three as season indicators and 45 for their scenic beauty. An informant consensus factor for species in all use categories was >90%, except for the scenic value, indicating a high homogeneity of knowledge about species uses. Bird species with multiple uses have significant cultural values among locals, emphasizing the need to understand these values in conservation efforts. Nuer traditional systems regulate the direct use of birds including for bushmeat. Hunting is permitted only by impoverished households during severe food shortages and is prohibited for those with a history of twins in their ancestry. The Nuer people exhibit a profound cultural connection to birds, viewing them as sacred and spiritually valuable beings. This deep‐seated reverence and traditional knowledge highlight the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives into bird conservation strategies to enhance their effectiveness and respect cultural values. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

A human digital twin for the M-Machine

Human digital twins are computational models of the human actions involved in interacting and operating technical artifacts. Such models provide a conceptual and practical tool for artificial intelligence designers when they seek to replace human work with intelligent machines. Indeed, digital twins have long served as models of technical and cyber-physical processes. Human digital twins have such models as their foundations but also include models of human actions. As a result, human digital twin models enable technology designers to model how people interact with intelligent technical artifacts. Yet, development of human digital twins is associated with certain conceptual problems. To clarify the basic idea, we constructed a human digital twin for Minsky’s M-Machine. The abstract conceptual structure of this machine and its generality allowed us to analyze the general properties of human digital twins, their design, and their use as tools in designing intelligent technologies.

Rendering Frankenstein's monsters? The emergence and impacts of human digital twins

AbstractHuman digital twins (HDTs) are set to revolutionise human–system integration and improve human capacities, productivity, and well‐being by including human characteristics in system design. Reflecting real‐life behaviours and emotional reactions, HDTs render virtual data‐driven models of people. Their presence in many fields—including office work, education, and healthcare—showcases their ability to advance diagnoses, workforce training, and individualised learning. However, the general HDTs acceptance hypothesis calls for a critical analysis of their ethical ramifications and social influence. Emphasising the need of social adaptations to maintain stability, structural functionalism provides a suited framework to examine the roles of HDTs inside social systems. Despite their obvious advantages, HDTs raise ethical questions. While addressing concerns about user acceptance and ethical norms, engineers, designers and the legal regulators, but also the users—by means of ‘owners’—must consider the substantial consequences of HDTs and their customisation. HDTs' duality, like a double‐edged sword, calls for deliberate usage and considerable thought to negotiate the changing terrain of human–machine interaction.

Energy- and Cost-Aware Offloading of Dependent Tasks With Edge-Cloud Collaboration for Human Digital Twin

Energy- and Cost-Aware Offloading of Dependent Tasks With Edge-Cloud Collaboration for Human Digital Twin

Digital Twin-Based Alternate Ego Modeling and Simulation: Eva Herzigová as a 3D MetaHuman Avatar

Abstract Due to Dimension Studios and Unsigned Group, by likeness and movement digitization, the human supermodel Eva Herzigová’s highly realistic metahuman and 3D digital twin lead to perpetual career extension (e.g., on virtual runway shows by catwalk replication or in advertising campaigns by particular pose adoption), including in virtual worlds such as metaverse spaces, by use of extended reality technologies, in terms of virtual clothing, digital hair, skin texture, facial and body expressions, and makeup styling as avatar appearance and persona. In this paper, we show how, by likeness capturing (e.g., signature walk by motion capture shoot for face and body movement tracking) and virtual clothing, Eva Herzigová’s hyperreal 3D avatar (lifelike 3D digital human clone or realistic virtual human) is configured with subsequent restyled hair and make-up, 3D clothing modeling, and extended reality fashion shows on virtual catwalks or campaign shoots. We clarify that photographic reference materials and a sensor-based motion capture suit assisted Metahuman Creator in capturing facial and motion data for Eva Herzigová’s digital avatar, configuring realistic depiction and virtual activations of beauty standards, in addition to digital likeness, signature style, talent representation, and narrations, typifying digital human creation and presence in virtual worlds (e.g., for metaverse-based shoots). We conclude that Eva Herzigová’s hyperrealistic 3D digital human twin and MetaHuman avatar operate as a styled virtual alter ego and versatile personal brand extension by motion capture technologies for immersive virtual fashion shows, live video streams and broadcast, and digital wearable modeling.

Human digital twins unlocking Society 5.0? Approaches, emerging risks and disruptions

Industry 5.0 and Healthcare 5.0 converge towards a human centered society, having technological advancement as a lever. In Society 5.0, decentralized autonomous cities and a convergence of physical and cyberspace are the foundations of the new chapter of society’s development. The idea of creating digital replicas and legitimate representatives of human beings in cyberspace has become a pillar of digitalization. Society 5.0 introduces Human Digital Twins as a central element of Cyber Physical Systems that include human factors or are designed to interact with humans in a personalized fashion. Overall, the HDT and neighboring concepts are applied to depict how humans can be represented in a cyberspace. However, there are clear challenges in determining which human characteristics should take precedence, how much autonomy should be granted to HDTs to optimize their functionality and how to conceptualize the digital environment in which HDTs interact with various entities, including other digital agents and stakeholders with agency and decisional power. To harness similarities and differences of current approaches, we propose a classification of HDTs based on meta-characteristics and ethical implications. We discuss ethical implication by focusing on emerging risks and paradigm shifts and anchor the previous discussion in the vision for Society 5.0, questioning whether societal development relying on disruptive technologies, instead of leading to more human-centered societies might be driving humanized societies away from humanity.

Digital twin technology training and research in health higher education: a review

Healthcare strives to ensure overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being for individuals while managing limited resources efficiently. Digital technologies can offer cost reduction, improved user experience, and expanded capacity. In addition, modern automation technologies, which were implemented in industrial control systems or industrial automation control systems, are essential for ensuring the availability of societies’ critical cyber-physical systems (CPSs) and the services they provide, such as healthcare. This narrative literature review produces information that can be applied when planning and implementing an interdisciplinary biomedical and health informatics (BMHI) master’s education focused on the challenges of digitalization in the health sector. The review results that virtual human twins (VHTs) are revolutionizing healthcare by addressing people’s complex medical problems with real-time monitoring and precision care while digital twin (DT) technology can make the hospital’s operational processes resilient and efficient. Thus, future BMHI education must address these technologies with a multidisciplinary approach, including computer science, information science, engineering, basic sciences, health sciences, socio-behavioral sciences, and ethical, legal, and policy aspects. Collected and cumulative data is essential for cognitive DTs. A prerequisite for this data is information sharing between different CPSs. Better information sharing and the development of scalable cognitive DTs and VHTs, the provision of critical services, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as health, safety, and resilience, will improve. Similarities between peoples’ health information exchange and information needed for ensuring the resilience of CPSs exist. Since humans are in many ways more complex than CPSs, security engineers have a lot to learn from VHTs in maintaining the resilience of CPSs. Cross-sectoral research and cooperation with different disciplines are essential for the progress of both human health and the resilience of CPSs. Along with interdisciplinary research cooperation, educational cooperation should also be intensified.

Lucas Tesán - Thermodynamics-informed Graph Neural Networks for anatomically accurate digital human twins

Lucas Tesán - Thermodynamics-informed Graph Neural Networks for anatomically accurate digital human twins

Definition and implementation of the Cloud Infrastructure for the integration of the Human Digital Twin in the Social Internet of Things

With the integration of virtualization technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding its capabilities and quickly becoming a complex ecosystem of networked devices. The Social Internet of Things (SIoT), where intelligent things include social properties that improve functioning and user engagement, is the result of this progress. The SIoT still has issues with scalability, data management, and user-centric operations, despite tremendous progress. In order to overcome these obstacles, a strong architecture is needed that can handle the enormous number of IoT devices while simultaneously streamlining the user interface.This study provides a unique architecture for the IoT that uses containerization to efficiently deploy and manage services while integrating Virtual Users (VUs) and Social Virtual Objects (SVOs) into a scalable Cloud/Edge infrastructure. These innovative aspects collectively advance previous works presented in literature and focused on novel SIoT architectures and implementations, by addressing key challenges in scalability, efficiency, and automation within the SIoT. The proposed method presents an extensible, modular architecture that lets VUs self-manage IoT services, making user administration easier and improving system security and scalability. Important parts of the design include a host controller for container orchestration, a deployer for automated service deployment, and user clusters for aggregating VUs, SVOs, and apps to provide secured and efficient data sharing. We show through experimental assessment that the architecture can manage high-volume installations and operating needs, exceeding the conventional platform based on Google App Engine in terms of system overhead and deployment timeframes. The obtained results highlight how our suggested architecture, which provides an easy-to-use, scalable, and secure foundation for IoT deployments, has the potential to advance the SIoT landscape.

P-541 First live birth report of identical twins from a single low-grade mosaic blastocyst (46,XY/45,XY,-19) transfer: when a small chance becomes a double miracle

Abstract Study question N/A Summary answer First live birth report of identical twins from the transfer of a single low-grade mosaic blastocyst for monosomy on chromosome 19. What is known already The clinical decision-making in cases involving the transfer of low-grade mosaic embryos remains controversial. Recent studies have indicated that low-grade mosaic embryos exhibit pregnancy rates similar to euploid embryos, encouraging their transfer. However, the judgment to proceed in most cases is still challenging. The transfer of a low-grade mosaic embryo for monosomy on chromosome 19 is considered relative safe. The occurrence of human twins resulting from embryo splitting in ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) cycles is a rare phenomenon. To date, there are no reports of the birth of identical twins from a single low-grade mosaic embryo transfer. Study design, size, duration This is a single-case report detailing an assisted reproduction cycle conducted by a couple. Participants/materials, setting, methods A couple with a nine-year history of infertility, characterized by low ovarian reserve and azoospermia, underwent an ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) cycle in October 2022. Due to azoospermia, microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration and subsequent freezing of the retrieved sperm were performed prior to ovum pick-up. PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy) of the resultant blastocysts was conducted, followed by the transfer of a single low-grade mosaic after a modified natural endometrial preparation cycle. Main results and the role of chance Seven mature oocytes were retrieved, and following ICSI with the thawed seminal sample, four blastocysts were developed and biopsied for PGT-A analysis. Out of these four high-quality blastocysts, three were aneuploid, and the remaining one was a low-grade (50%) mosaic for monosomy on chromosome 19. After genetic counselling, the patients decided to proceed with the transfer of a day 5 3AA low-grade mosaic embryo, which led to a successful pregnancy. The transferred embryo split, generating a pregnancy of identical twins. The twins were delivered via cesarean section at 30 weeks and 5 days of gestational age. The premature delivery was necessitated due to the mother developing cardiac insufficiency related to pre-existing valvulopathy and a superimposed venous thromboembolism. Peripheral blood samples from the twins have been collected for a 100-cell karyotype analysis (results will be available by February 9th). This case marks the first reported instance of twins born from the transfer of a single low-grade mosaic blastocyst (46,XY/45,XY,-19). Limitations, reasons for caution This is a retrospective case-report from one couple, describing a rare event. Wider implications of the findings This case-report could elucidate the physician’s decision and slightly encourage the transfer of low-grade mosaic embryos when there are no full euploids available. Trial registration number Not pllicable

Digital Twins for Healthcare Using Wearables.

Digital twins are a relatively new form of digital modeling that has been gaining popularity in recent years. This is in large part due to their ability to update in real time to their physical counterparts and connect across multiple devices. As a result, much interest has been directed towards using digital twins in the healthcare industry. Recent advancements in smart wearable technologies have allowed for the utilization of human digital twins in healthcare. Human digital twins can be generated using biometric data from the patient gathered from wearables. These data can then be used to enhance patient care through a variety of means, such as simulated clinical trials, disease prediction, and monitoring treatment progression remotely. This revolutionary method of patient care is still in its infancy, and as such, there is limited research on using wearables to generate human digital twins for healthcare applications. This paper reviews the literature pertaining to human digital twins, including methods, applications, and challenges. The paper also presents a conceptual method for creating human body digital twins using wearable sensors.

Metaverse & Human Digital Twin: Digital Identity, Biometrics, and Privacy in the Future Virtual Worlds

Driven by technological advances in various fields (AI, 5G, VR, IoT, etc.) together with the emergence of digital twins technologies (HDT, HAL, BIM, etc.), the Metaverse has attracted growing attention from scientific and industrial communities. This interest is due to its potential impact on people lives in different sectors such as education or medicine. Specific solutions can also increase inclusiveness of people with disabilities that are an impediment to a fulfilled life. However, security and privacy concerns remain the main obstacles to its development. Particularly, the data involved in the Metaverse can be comprehensive with enough granularity to build a highly detailed digital copy of the real world, including a Human Digital Twin of a person. Existing security countermeasures are largely ineffective and lack adaptability to the specific needs of Metaverse applications. Furthermore, the virtual worlds in a large-scale Metaverse can be highly varied in terms of hardware implementation, communication interfaces, and software, which poses huge interoperability difficulties. This paper aims to analyse the risks and opportunities associated with adopting digital replicas of humans (HDTs) within the Metaverse and the challenges related to managing digital identities in this context. By examining the current technological landscape, we identify several open technological challenges that currently limit the adoption of HDTs and the Metaverse. Additionally, this paper explores a range of promising technologies and methodologies to assess their suitability within the Metaverse context. Finally, two example scenarios are presented in the Medical and Education fields.

Smart & Digital World: The Technologies Needed for Digital Twins and Human Digital Twins

Abstract The transition to Industry 5.0 begins with the integration of the human aspect into Industry 4.0 technologies. Industry 5.0 is a human-centric design approach that aims to overcome the issues raised by Industry 4.0 and involves collaborating both with humans and robots in a shared working environment. The new idea demonstrates a great connection between technology and people, or “soft” sectors. At this point, the idea of a digital twin, a novel technological innovation, appears. The digital twin is a newly developed technology that is essential for digital transformation and intelligent updates. The fundamental basis of this concept involves the amalgamation of artificial intelligence (AI) with the notion of digital twins, which refer to virtual renditions of tangible entities, systems, or procedures. Therefore, this article focuses on digital twins and the innovative concept of Human Digital Twins, with particular emphasis on the technological tools of AI in the usage of mentioned technology. Also, this article conducts a comprehensive PESTLE analysis of Industry 5.0, while specifically delving into the concepts of Digital Twin and Human Digital Twin.

Human digital twin technology for individual profiling using LC-MS untargeted metabolomics analysis of dried blood spot samples

Background Digital twins in healthcare enable the creation of accurate, real-time replicas of individual patients, allowing for personalized, data-driven diagnostics, treatment plans, and monitoring to enhance patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. This transformative shift could significantly enhance our ability to comprehend and address individual well-being and health needs in a more personalized and preventive manner. This study aims to highlight the approach developed by BioTwin Inc., designed to assist and empower healthcare providers in their clinical practice. Methods Through the integration of dried blood samples (DBS), biometric data, untargeted metabolomics liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, and a data-driven workflow, BioTwin Inc. holds the potential to generate insights into individual health, potentially catalyzing a transformative shift in healthcare. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted to collect DBS samples from 277 volunteers over 30 months across Canada and the United States of America. Samples were collected using standardized protocols and analyzed using LC-MS. Subsequently, a machine learning approach was employed for further analysis and refinement of prediction models. Results The results of the experiment demonstrate the dynamic nature of metabolism, revealing its variability within individuals over time and its uniqueness across different individuals. The precision for predicting sample ownership was 80% accuracy when users provided 5 samples and 92% accuracy when users provided 10 samples. These findings underscore the importance of understanding temporal variations and individuality in metabolomics research. Conclusions In conclusion, the use of digital twins in healthcare, coupled with untargeted metabolomics and advanced machine learning techniques, has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery. The emphasis on individuality, dynamic metabolic profiles, and precision in patient care opens new frontiers in personalized and preventive medicine. Moving forward, the integration of multiple data sources and the synergy between metabolic and biometric data will benefit both providers and patients.

What Happens When the Zygote Divides? On the Metaphysics of Monozygotic Twinning.

It is often argued that certain metaphysical complications surrounding the phenomenon of monozygotic twinning force us to conclude that, prior to the point at which twinning is no longer possible, the zygote or early embryo cannot be considered an individual human organism. In this essay, I argue, on the contrary, that there are in fact several ways of making sense of monozygotic twinning that uphold the humanity of the original zygote, but also that there is no easy answer to what happens when the human zygote twins. All of the options available carry with them one or more surprising, alarming, or otherwise counterintuitive implications. All things considered, I conclude that the "budding option," according to which the original human organism present before twinning carries on as one of the resulting embryos but not the other, is the most plausible explanation of what happens when a human zygote twins.

Human digital twins to inform ship design

A key building block of digital twin solutions is a virtual counterpart for an asset that can be coupled to the asset throughout its lifecycle – predicting an asset’s potential performance at design and providing insight into operation during service. This paper presents the development of human digital twins that integrate human factors into conventional ship design procedures, particularly focussing on seakeeping performance assessments. A novel method for incorporating human-centric performance criteria in seakeeping analyses is proposed and initial validation thereof is detailed. Human digital twins are seen to provide a platform for informing the ship design process using data captured during vessel operation.

Envisioning the Future of Personalized Medicine: Role and Realities of Digital Twins.

Digital twins have emerged as a groundbreaking concept in personalized medicine, offering immense potential to transform health care delivery and improve patient outcomes. It is important to highlight the impact of digital twins on personalized medicine across the understanding of patient health, risk assessment, clinical trials and drug development, and patient monitoring. By mirroring individual health profiles, digital twins offer unparalleled insights into patient-specific conditions, enabling more accurate risk assessments and tailored interventions. However, their application extends beyond clinical benefits, prompting significant ethical debates over data privacy, consent, and potential biases in health care. The rapid evolution of this technology necessitates a careful balancing act between innovation and ethical responsibility. As the field of personalized medicine continues to evolve, digital twins hold tremendous promise in transforming health care delivery and revolutionizing patient care. While challenges exist, the continued development and integration of digital twins hold the potential to revolutionize personalized medicine, ushering in an era of tailored treatments and improved patient well-being. Digital twins can assist in recognizing trends and indicators that might signal the presence of diseases or forecast the likelihood of developing specific medical conditions, along with the progression of such diseases. Nevertheless, the use of human digital twins gives rise to ethical dilemmas related to informed consent, data ownership, and the potential for discrimination based on health profiles. There is a critical need for robust guidelines and regulations to navigate these challenges, ensuring that the pursuit of advanced health care solutions does not compromise patient rights and well-being. This viewpoint aims to ignite a comprehensive dialogue on the responsible integration of digital twins in medicine, advocating for a future where technology serves as a cornerstone for personalized, ethical, and effective patient care.