Australian Red Cross Lifeblood: Azure Digital Twins

The Project

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood engaged Insight to validate the feasibility of using Azure Digital Twins to model, visualise and contextualise operational data from their platelet pooling process. The PoC included creating a digital twin model, integrating simulated data sources, and building real-time visualisation capabilities to support future adoption decisions.

Bridging Physical and Digital

This project is the systems-thinker thesis made literal. Working alongside a practice director on a small PoC team, my role was solely SketchUp Pro modelling and GLB/glTF asset delivery. I created over 20 to-scale, low-fidelity 3D models of actual laboratory machines (from platelet processing equipment to irradiation devices), exported as GLB/glTF for integration with Three.js rendering within the Azure Digital Twin platform. The work involved mapping relationships between simulation scenarios and the physical lab layout, and calibrating models to match real-world equipment dimensions.

The technical pipeline (SketchUp → GLB/glTF → Three.js → Azure Digital Twins) spans physical space modelling through to cloud-based digital twin platforms in a single workflow.

Beyond Modelling

Beyond the 3D visualisation work, I contributed to future-state architecture discussions covering real-world twin data integration approaches: human tracking, BLE beacons, UWB trackers, Active RFID, LoRaWAN tracking, and AI computer vision. I challenged the team on whether the original vision was a live operational digital twin rather than purely a simulation platform, contributing solution design thinking alongside the modelling deliverables.

Presales to Delivery

I supported the presales phase roughly 12 months before the engagement kicked off, helping with the ROM/SOW and providing 3D concept visualisations. When the project came through, I delivered the 3D assets and front-end contributions that formed part of the successfully accepted Proof of Concept.

The solution architecture included Azure Digital Twins, Azure IoT Hub, Azure Logic Apps, Azure Data Explorer, device simulators, and a React web application with an embedded 3D Scenes Studio viewer.

Why This Matters

Both this project and PTA were given to me because I am the only consultant at Insight with physical/exhibition UX and 3D modelling skills, two examples of presales-to-delivery, end-to-end ownership driven by a unique capability set. An interesting finding from the PoC was that Three.js alone could almost fully replicate (and in some cases improve on) the Azure Digital Twins experience, which informed the client’s future adoption decisions.

Hard Skills

SketchUp Pro, GLB/glTF, 3D modelling (20+ to-scale models), Azure Digital Twins, Azure IoT Hub, Azure Logic Apps, Azure Data Explorer, React, solution architecture

Soft Skills

Presales to delivery (ROM/SOW → PoC), sole capability holder at Insight (physical UX + 3D), cross-disciplinary collaboration (architects, engineers, solution designers), solution design thinking, challenging assumptions, working outside core discipline (UX → 3D/IoT/Digital Twins)

Note: This was a Proof of Concept. The architecture and contribution are described accurately; production deployment is not implied.