Smart process control and predictive maintenance via digital twins
Digital twin-enabled Smart Control Engineering (SCE) that combines industrial AI, deep learning, and edge computing to deliver smarter, more robust process automation and predictive maintenance for industrial operations.
Overview
This solution introduces Smart Control Engineering (SCE), a digital twin-driven framework that elevates process control beyond traditional optimization and robustness by adding a third dimension: intelligence. By integrating digital twins with industrial artificial intelligence, deep learning, data analytics, big data, and edge computing, the approach enables real-time process automation and predictive maintenance for complex industrial systems. The framework is designed for industry partners seeking next-generation automation capabilities that improve quality, line efficiency, energy use, and sanitation effectiveness.
Technical specifications
- Digital twin enabler technology that mirrors physical processes for real-time monitoring, simulation, and decision support
- Industrial AI integration combining deep learning, data analytics, and big data pipelines
- Edge computing layer for low-latency, on-site inference and control actions
- Smart Control Engineering methodology that asks three questions of any controller: how optimal, how robust, and how smart
- Process automation focus with demonstrated case studies in process technology applications
- Predictive maintenance capabilities that anticipate equipment behavior and reduce unplanned downtime
- Applicable to food safety and quality contexts including cooking, sterilization, and sanitation processes
Technology readiness level
The concept has been validated through published case studies in a peer-reviewed book on digital twins and Smart Control Engineering. A one-year plan is underway to extend the framework into process automation, with emphasis on novel cooking and sterilization processes, sensors, and sanitation efficiency improvements. The work is positioned for collaboration with industry partners interested in piloting the methodology in real-world production environments.
About University of California, Merced
UC Merced is a young, comprehensive public research university in Merced, California, serving the San Joaquin Valley with modern, purpose-built facilities and growing graduate programs. Industry partners connect through co-located interdisciplinary labs and shared instrumentation cores, with streamlined mechanisms for sponsored research and data-use agreements. The campus’s Central Valley location enables field-scale pilots and validation in real-world production environments, supported by employer-engaged internships and capstone collaborations. Faculty attract competitive federal funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and NASA. A dedicated technology transfer office manages IP and licensing and provides a single point of entry for corporate partnerships.
delivered to your inbox.