Special Session 12

SPECIAL SESSION #12

Virtual Meets Real: Digital Twins and Metrology in a Data-Driven Future

Thomas Wiedenhoefer

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany

• thomas.wiedenhoefer@ptb.de

In this Special Session, international experts from all fields of metrology are invited to share their results, discuss challenges, and explore new approaches in the interaction between digital and real-world metrology. The focus will be on digital twins, which go far beyond pure simulation by integrating real-time data, AI-driven modeling, measurement uncertainty, and other metrological principles to enhance accuracy, reliability, and predictive capabilities. This session provides a platform for exchanging insights on uncertainty quantification, hybrid measurement approaches, and the evolving role of digital twins in Industry 4.0, IoT, and emerging industrial and scientific applications.

Related Topics:

• Digital twins as dynamic metrological systems;
• Hybrid measurement approaches combining virtual and physical data;
• AI-driven uncertainty quantification and traceability in digital twins;
• Real-time interaction between digital twins and physical sensors;
• Applications in Industry 4.0, IoT, and predictive maintenance.

To the Committee:
Further co-organizers may come from PTB's Competence Center VirtMet or IMEKO TC8 "Traceability in Metrology". Once the session is accepted, the organizing team will be finalized. The details regarding the number of on-site participants and the session structure has to be clarified as part of the planning process.

Thomas Wiedenhöfer studied Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, specializing in manufacturing metrology, quality management, and automation. He established and led a research group in micro/nano and optical metrology at the university before transitioning to industry, where he spent seven years as Director for R&D Collaborations at a renowned manufacturer of multisensor coordinate measuring machines. In 2015, he joined PTB, Germany’s national metrology institute, where he contributed to key strategic projects such as the Digital Calibration Certificate (DCC), Digital SI (D-SI), and industrial silicon sphere production. He is currently a member of the Presidential Staff at PTB and actively involved in international metrology as Vice Chair of IMEKO TC 8 “Traceability in Metrology” and a member of the PTB Competence Center “Metrology for Virtual Measuring Instruments” (VirtMet). In 2024, he chaired the IMEKO World Congress in Hamburg.