In recent years, the application of digital twins (DTs) has gained increasing attention for enhancing the autonomous operation capabilities of earthmoving equipment. However, significant diversity in application objectives, implementation forms, and enabling tools has made it difficult to interpret and apply digital twins appropriately in specific scenarios, thereby limiting their effective deployment in the earthmoving domain. To address this, a comprehensive literature review is conducted to analyze the current research status of digital twins in earthmoving operations and to provide guidance for future research directions. This paper first establishes a clear conceptual framework for digital twins to resolve existing ambiguities. Based on this framework, the study proposes a maturity model to outline a technology roadmap for future development. In addition, the study categorizes and summarizes common application forms and key technologies. Common challenges and practical concerns encountered in real-world applications are also discussed. This paper aims to provide theoretical guidance for the hierarchical and adaptive application of digital twins in earthmoving operations and to assist researchers in selecting appropriate technical pathways based on real-world demands.
Ma et al. (2026) studied this question.