A system based on sub-millimetre wave sensors and artificial intelligence allows for users to ‘see through walls’ and check the location, components and structural integrity of equipment within building frames.
Our solution combines laser technology and AI algorithms supplied by VOXELGRID and octo, alongside microwave technology from WaveScan. The combination of laser scanners and microwave technology has propelled data-driven maintenance of buildings, as users are able to carry out preventative maintenance.
Building inspections from within?
Axians and VINCI Energies invite OCTO and WaveScan
Rather than having to open up a wall to find pipes or cabling, instead, with the 3D laser scanner and building information modelling (BIM) data, users are easily able to see inside the building frame.
Baecker Sascha
Axians Digital Acceleration Business Development Manager
The sensors form a network which use electromagnetic waves which detect subsurface anomalies, across a range of materials including tiles, wood, concrete, PVC and dielectric composites. The data transmitted by these sensors are processed by AI algorithms in the cloud. This provides technicians with information regarding various materials and their structural integrity. Additionally, 3D images of equipment embedded in walls can be created using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
WaveScan was originally designed in Singapore, and has been developed over the past decade. Originally, the system was used in industries such as aviation, where users were able to identify submillimetre defects such as cracks and corrosion holes in aircrafts, as well as in other areas such as in oil and gas pipelines. These industries are able to identify and address potentially disastrous faults, preventing devastation. The technology was then introduced into the construction industry, for example, allowing inspection of the facades of skyscrapers in Singapore.
These 3D scanners and AI form a more efficient system, therefore streamlining building inspections and work on equipment, reducing overall cost and increasing accuracy.
