Digital twins
A continuously updated virtual copy of a physical thing — a device, a ward, eventually a patient — you can query and simulate against.
In one line
A digital twin is software state that mirrors a physical entity in near-real time — last known values, desired values, and a model of behaviour — so systems can read, command, and simulate without touching the physical thing directly.
How it works
Telemetry flows in (often via MQTT) and updates the twin's reported state; applications write a desired state (set pump rate to X) that the platform reconciles with the device when it is reachable. Because the twin persists, you can query a device that is currently offline, replay history, and run what-if simulations against the model instead of the physical asset.
Where it shows up in digital health
Device fleets (every infusion pump's twin shows status, firmware, location); hospital operations twins (bed flow, OR scheduling simulations); and — the research frontier — patient-specific physiological twins for dosing and treatment planning. In this platform, the simulation bridge treats a training mannequin as exactly this: a twin whose vitals the scenario engine reads and writes.