Integrating Digital Twin Instance into Blockchain-Based Access Control governed by Smart Contracts

Abstract

Digital twin instances are gaining popularity due to their ability to provide a novel way to operate, design, and maintain physical assets. These virtual replicas offer real-time insights into their real-world counterparts’ performance, condition, and potential issues. Organizations can optimize processes, predict failures, and make informed decisions by analyzing data from sensors, simulations, and historical records, ultimately saving costs, reducing downtime, and enhancing overall efficiency. However, the data streams, models, and connected physical assets of a digital twin instance are of considerable value to the owners of the digital twin and, thus, need to be protected from potential abuse and attacks. This paper focuses on the need for access control when deploying digital twin instances. We present and evaluate a solution integrating digital twin instances into a smart-contract-governed blockchain solution.