Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced two new IoT services, AWS IoT TwinMaker and AWS IoT FleetWise, to simplify the process to, respectively, create digital trains of industrial sites, equipment, and production lines, and collect and transfer vehicle data to the cloud. Siemens, Accenture, and NXP Semiconductors, among others, have been variously announced as early clients for the two services.
AWS IoT FleetWise is geared for Industry 4.0 projects, to help create digital twins of buildings, factories, industrial equipment, and production lines, said AWS. Next to Siemens, and Accenture, Florida-based smart building and cold-chain solutions provider Carrier Global has been confirmed as an early customer. AWS said the new digital-twin solution removes barriers for industrialists so they are no longer required to manually connect different data streams (sensors, cameras, and applications), and separately build a virtual 3D model and also overlay live data.
The new AWS system automates these processes, it said. It features built-in connectors to AWS IoT SiteWise, Amazon Kinesis Video Streams, and Amazon S3, and allows for other connectors besides (“for data sources like Amazon Timestream or Snowflake”). Customers can import existing CAD models and BIM files, and others.
AWS said: “AWS IoT TwinMaker automatically creates a knowledge graph that combines and understands the relationships of the connected data sources, so it can update the digital twin with real-time information from the system being modelled.” Developers can use an AWS IoT TwinMaker plugin for Amazon Managed Grafana to create a web-based application that displays the digital twin on the devices plant operators and maintenance engineers use to monitor and inspect facilities and industrial systems.
Meanwhile, the new AWS IoT FleetWise solution is part of the company’s wider strategy to provide automotive customers with tools for connected mobility, autonomous development, digital customer engagement, product design and engineering, manufacturing, and the supply chain. Alongside NXP, Connected car solution provider WirelessCar and mobility intelligence platform provider Otonomo have also signed up.
AWS said the solution allows automakers to “collect and organize data in any format present in their vehicles – regardless of make, model, or options – and standardize the data for easy data analysis in the cloud”. The solution features an AI filter to sort relevant data at the edge, in the vehicle, and discard the rest, to reduce network traffic to the cloud. They can define rules for when to transfer, based on such things as weather, location, and vehicle type.
Automakers can use the data in the cloud to remotely diagnose issues in vehicles to prevent potential recalls or safety issues, or improve autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. AWS stated: “Advanced vehicle sensors can generate up to two terabytes of data hourly per vehicle, making the cost of transferring data prohibitive. Automakers want to collect, standardize, and transfer this data to the cloud more cost-effectively.”
Both applications are available with no upfront commitments or fees; customers pay for the “underlying services” they use, said AWS. AWS IoT TwinMaker is available “in preview” in certain states in the US, as well as in Ireland and Singapore. Availability in additional regions is “coming soon”. AWS IoT FleetWise is available “in preview” in North Virginia in the US and Frankfurt) in Germany, with general availability also “coming soon”.
Of the digital twin offer, Michael MacKenzie, general manager of AWS IoT, commented: “Customers are excited… to use digital twins to improve operations and processes, but the work involved in creating a digital twin and custom applications for different use cases is prohibitive for most… More customers can now have a holistic view of their industrial equipment, facilities, and processes to monitor and optimize all of their operations in real time.”
Of the automotive offer, Mike Tzamaloukas, general manager of IoT Automotive at AWS, said: “While automakers have collected, stored, and analyzed vehicle data for years, they are not equipped to manage the explosion of data generated by advanced vehicle safety and autonomous driving systems… [They] can now use the power of AWS to help maintain millions of vehicles, increase vehicle safety, and improve customer service.”
