Birmingham City University (BCU) has developed a pioneering digital twin to track air pollution. It is designed to help families in Walsall monitor and improve indoor air quality, making a life-changing difference for children living with asthma.
The project, led by researchers from BCU’s School of the Built Environment, has created a virtual replica of a real-life home that uses live sensor data to track pollutant levels such as dust and carbon dioxide.
The system provides residents with easy-to-understand alerts and tailored advice on how to improve air quality in real time. One Walsall family has already seen the benefits.
Digital twins are a popular approach businesses use to achieve process excellence. The PEX Report 2025/26 found that 12 percent of organizations are currently using digital twins/process simulation to support business transformation. Meanwhile, 13 percent are planning to invest in digital twins/process simulation tools in the coming year.
Digital twin aims to reduce GP visits and hospital admissions for respiratory issues
Indoor air quality affects everyone and it was important to find a case study for the digital twin to help solve a real problem, said lead researcher Negin Khosh Amadi. “Users receive real-time data on their phone or laptop as well as proactive intervention advice to prevent air quality getting to a potentially dangerous level.”
The advice they get is relevant to a particular activity, such as cooking or ventilation, so they can make small, simple changes to create a big impact. “I hope we can keep developing this platform so occupants and learn how to improve their indoor environments by themselves.”
The data aims to help to reduce GP visits and hospital admissions for respiratory issues. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see our work leave the lab and make a real difference for a family,” said Dr Saeed Talebi, associate professor in the Built Environment at BCU. “This is about using technology to protect children’s health and support those who need it most.”
Digital twin drives real life impact
Currently, 7.2 million people in the UK have asthma and the condition remains in the top 10 causes of emergency hospital admissions for children and young people. Julie, a mum whose 10-year-old daughter lives with asthma, volunteered her home for the project.
“Before the sensors were installed, I did think about the air quality in my home,” said Julie, “but these sensors can show what needs doing to make it better. When you get an alert, you know that you can do things to prevent anything happening with the asthma. The researchers at BCU have helped me improve my life standards in the house and it would be great to keep the sensors so I can know more about air quality in the future.”
Fay Shanahan, corporate director of operations and IT at whg, which manages Julie’s home, commented: We are delighted to be part of this important research. This project demonstrates how data and technology can create safer, healthier homes and help prevent conditions like asthma from escalating. As a landlord, we are uniquely placed to work with partners to address the social and economic factors that drive poor health outcomes.”
The next stage of the project is to grow the pilot into an estate-wide program and share the open-source toolkit with other social-housing landlords and organizations, as well as work with local authority public health teams to track health and cost savings.