Analyzing potential collaboration methods for digital twin teams developed on heterogeneous blockchains without a central authority
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | ADVANCED ENGINEERING INFORMATICS |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474034625005099 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2025.103616 |
| Keywords | Cross-chain; Interoperability; Layer 3; Metaverse; Scalability; Virtual lab |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The increasing popularity of digital twins (DTs) in emerging technology and Industry 5.0 has motivated researchers and developers worldwide to collaborate. Metaverse-based labs are considered exciting environments for both industry and academia. However, launching DT-empowered labs, as state-of-the-art and shared workspaces, for these sectors faces several challenges, such as secure data sharing among DT teams, misbehavior by malicious intermediaries, cost-efficient collaboration, and the absence of high-throughput data transfer methods. Metaverse-based workspaces and labs on heterogeneous/different blockchains and the lack of reliable collaboration methods for them, this study first identifies distributed data transfer methods between heterogeneous blockchains, such as cross-chain, para-chain, side-chain, and super-chain. This paper introduces a Layer 3 (L3)-based modular framework that enables DT teams to collaborate without reliance on centralized intermediaries. It then, as the main innovation, proposes a generic framework for the collaboration of DT teams developed on different blockchains that operate without a central authority. Ultimately, an in-depth analysis of applying the aforementioned methods in the background of worldwide DT teams collaborating on shared metaverse-based labs is provided. In the analysis, implementation guidelines, key challenges, and potential solutions are discussed in technical detail. Implementation strategies, cryptographic security considerations, and interoperability standards are discussed in depth. The model is validated using a theoretical framework and a simulated cost-efficiency evaluation. Results show a 62% reduction in latency and a 4–6× improvement in transaction costs using L3 configurations compared to L1-to-L1 protocols. Our findings demonstrate that L3-based DT collaboration via L3 solutions significantly enhances scalability, security, and interoperability across blockchain-based ecosystems. |
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