Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AR AND VR TECHNOLOGIES
ARE ALL SET TO FLUIDIZE THE
MRO ECOSYSTEM
By Avimanyu Basu
driven maintenance ambitions of the
A
ugmented Reality and Virtual TRENDS OEMs. As a result, the manufacturers
Reality (AR/VR) technologies The MRO market is poised to realize are often attaching a set of tools to
have already entered the a significant reduction in requests reinforce training and maintenance
commercial aviation market and can from engineering support technicians of their products such as airframe and
be expected to be the most effectual through seamless sharing of digital engine. Rolls-Royce’s VR tool to support
in the maintenance, repair and images as well as other data via handheld refresher training on the Trent XWB
overhaul (MRO) areas. With the global devices as compared to the traditional engine, launched with Qatar Airways
spread of the COVID-19 pandemic paper-based request forms. AR/VR can be cited as an example.
and necessities of social distancing, powers quick resolution for engineering
the maintenance of functional areas glitches that can be arrested digitally and Evolving partnership ecosystems
require cutting-edge technologies referred to in case of a similar situation accelerating technology maturity
to train maintenance engineers and in the future. Accordingly, some of the
technicians and support them with trends in the industry are the following: The commercial aviation industry has
appropriate guidance in case of a been witnessing numerous instances
real-time maintenance exercise such Aligning With The Drift of partnerships in these areas. While
as a type-A MRO (the regular checks From Predictive To Proactive some of the technology developers
executed before and after every flight). Maintenance have been working towards delivering
Technologies supporting telepresence a more immersive customer experience
with real-time connectivity between The original equipment manufacturers and planning to position its offering
onsite operators and technical experts (OEMs) have started adopting an as standalone solutions in the market,
located elsewhere can be an example. analytics-based maintenance approach few other AR/VR specialists are being
These solutions usually involve for the equipment supplied to the approached by aviation industry
equipping maintenance staff with operators which is gradually shifting from stakeholders to come up with a solution,
wearable AR systems and engage a VR predictive to proactive maintenance. customised for the aerospace industry.
solution for immersive conversations. Advances in AR/VR technologies such For instance, IFS has collaborated with
Virtual image marking, with the help as Microsoft’s HoloLens, HTC Vive, AR specialist XMReality to work on an
of smart glasses or a mobile device, as well as software to enable end- AR-driven remote guidance solution
can provide effectual guidance, without users unlock the full potential of these helping repair engineers to connect
affecting the user’s spatial awareness. products, are empowering these data- with colleagues at the base.
EV CHARGING
as a whole, such as sharp decline in crude
prices, it has also created new opportunities
in the technology layer. The pandemic era
can be looked upon as an opportunity for
the stakeholders to resurrect the energy and
associated verticals, unlocking new business
models and identifying innovation sweet spots. The
E
lectric Vehicle (EV) and Hybrid Electric electric power economy, overarching application
Vehicle (HEV) configurations have areas such as smart grids and its components such
www.electricalindia.in
been historically proposed as a more as the charging infrastructure and grid storage, is all
sustainable alternative to the conventional fossil- set to adopt to these paradigm change.
fuel powered internal combustion (IC) engines Some of the major trends of the grid connected EV
for the global automotive and transportation landscape and the associated technologies are as follows:
industries. The COVID-19 pandemic has Fluidizing the power exchange: Deploying EVs at
resulted in tectonic shifts in such foundational scale would have a cascading effect on the energy grid, one
concepts and compelled several industries to of them being the increase in grid load during the charging
adopt a philosophical bend of mind to accept operation i.e., transfer of energy from the grid to the vehicle
the new norm, the automotive industry being (G2V) to charge the battery. To fortify the grid stability, the
A NOVEL WIRELESS
NZ’s invention
may be the next
power system
TECHNOLOGY
maverick
addressing long
distance
transmission
A
blips… chieving cost-effectiveness in range, high-power, wireless power
power transmission has been transmission (WPT) which can
a major challenge to the global potentially replace the existing copper
www.electricalindia.in
Palliative
aircraft
interior
illumination
Photo credit: unsplash.com by Marvin Meyer
A
ircraft lighting has been a crucial factor of the overall
passenger experience but often overlooked as the
other interior components such as seating, inflight
Interior lighting entertainment, or connectivity, take precedence. With
the age of more-electric aircraft steadily moving towards all-
in an aircraft is an electric configurations, lighting components suppliers have
integral part of the ambience been innovating towards maintaining the delicate balance of
product cost-effectiveness, aesthetics, and energy economy.
and passengers’ comfort. New Cabin illumination contributes significantly to the comfort of
technologies are coming up to the passengers onboard, particularly on long-haul,
transcontinental flights. Consistently, the technology
address this area. The aircraft developers conduct regular tests on the impact of light on
designers, manufacturers and human beings, the result of which feeds into the product
design engineering nomenclature.
maintenance groups should The aircraft lighting market has been fragmented and
adopt the latest offerings in various suppliers have identified innovation sweet spots to
excel as a technology developer. The following trends
the industry. reflect the seismic hotspots of technology innovations
and the associated market participants.
Avimanyu Basu
The author is a Lead Analyst with Information Services Group (ISG) and comes
with 10 years of experience in market research and consulting. He has executed
several strategy consulting assignments for both public and private sector clients
in APAC, Middle East and Europe in verticals like aerospace and defence,
automotive and energy. Presently, most of his engagements revolve around
outsourced engineering services.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and
not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or any other
group or individual.
Impregnating existing artifacts with luminous Implementing microLED for weight and
elements for customized visuals: longevity advantages:
UK’s AIM Altitude has integrated its lighting solutions in the With LEDs being installed for cabin lighting requirements
buyer-furnished equipment thus, creating more modular for quite a few years now, the market stakeholders,
propositions for interior illumination. While this concept of specifically technology developers have been working
moving away from separate lighting products to a more towards bringing in more active and granular control with
modulated design of ‘illuminating’ the existing interior LEDs, without convoluting the installed electrical circuit.
artifacts addresses challenges associated with space restrains, Enter microLED technologies - Collins Aerospace has been
the innovation also avoids installation challenges due to the first aerospace company to venture into the application
complex shapes. The innovation has witnessed an encouraging of microLED technology to the cabin in the form of reading
response in the middle east, the Emirates-operated Boeing light. The company has been exploring possibilities with
777 Ghaf Tree feature panel being an example. These microLEDs and its installation in panelized lighting on flat
features have been utilized by the airlines to intensate brand and curved surfaces, as well as with video capabilities
awareness such as fortifying the 3D appearance of the Arabic through embedded systems. Apart from better control,
design with proper lighting, executed for Oman Air. AIM microLEDs also provide improved longevity and lightweight
Altitude has also implemented the feature of displaying advantages.
various scenes for different flight segments for Virgin Atlantic’s
Airbus A350 Social Zone, making the passengers pensively Improving passenger health conditions:
aware of the local sights at the destination. Few companies, such as Luminator have been working towards
enhancing cabin health and safety with antibacterial lighting.
Sharpening control with LED lighting: The lighting would neutralize harmful bacteria such as MRSA,
Germany-based Schott, another optics specialist which has E. coli, and salmonella, as well as yeasts and fungi. The
been in the forefront of innovation with respect to lightings differentiating factor is brought in by avoiding the use of UV
and its effects on the passenger biorhythm, focuses on light that may deteriorate the plastic or interior components
replicating natural light and uses a spectrum of over 16 through extended exposure. US-based start-up Vital Vio has
million colors as well as eliminating color effects’ of ageing of been one of the first movers in this market. After a successful
LEDs. A unique combination of the optical light converter and penetration of the hospitals, gyms, household and hotel
an LED sensor assimilates the output of every LED, effectually industries, the company has been working with Delta Air Lines
removing possibilities of color drifts (light dots). The challenge (through Delta’s innovation group, The Hangar) to implement
of ageing LEDs impacting the overall homogeneity of the light its antimicrobial LED lighting technology onboard airplanes.
performance was tackled by Schott with its HelioJet technology. Furthermore, the collaboration creates opportunities for Vital
The technology leverages four LED colors (red, green, blue, Vio to extend the application of its technology to airports and
white) integrated into an optical light converter, which uses lounges.
fiber optic principles. The set-up is supported by sensor
management which controls the LEDs and provides a Enabling feedback product development
homogeneous light output over the life of the LEDs. The workflows:
Heliojet has experienced a growing customer base over the Stakeholders have established dedicated centers of excellence
years, starting with Scandinavian SAS in partnership with (CoEs) and CX labs which replicates the aircraft cabin
German MRO specialist Lufthansa Technik in 2015. environment, enabling the customers to readily experience the
Non-destructive testing can will deviate the flow. These distortions are
analyzed and presented in a digital graphic
format to identify the glitch.
Technology trends
By Avimanyu Basu Adoption of Neutron Imaging: One
of the emerging NDT technologies is
neutron imaging, which can detect deeply
embedded catch flaws and defects that
Background often goes unnoticed due to the complexity
Non-destructive testing (NDT) can be in detection. The methodology leverages
represented as a set of aircraft inspection neutron radiography which transmits a
methods which spans a wide range of stream of neutron radiation to inspect the
technologies, from analysis of 3D images internal structure of a component. Neutron
of cracks, corrosion, dents in metals and imaging is appropriate for detecting cracks
composite materials to manual techniques and voids in energetic materials, ceramic
like liquid penetrant and magnetic particle fragments in turbine blades, structural
testing. With the adoption of composites weaknesses in composites and 3D-printed
and 3D-printed components in aircraft components. With capability to interact
manufacturing, a requirement for testing only with the nucleus and discarding the
the endurance of complex nomenclatures electrons, neutron radiation is opaque to
is being realized. NDT bridges this gap with lighter materials. This is mainly because
its capability to access components down to atomic nuclei have very high density and
the material levels. Some of the conventional it is difficult for the radiation to penetrate.
NDT technologies are the following: This level of insight in the sub-atomic
Penetrant Testing (PT) and Magnetic levels is often useful for materials study of
Particle Testing (MT): Some of the components such as turbine blades.
conventional ways of detecting surface- Rapid softwarization of ecosystem:
breaking defects in metal and other The role of software has become more
nonporous materials are Penetrant testing critical in NDT, sometimes in fortifying the
defects such as porosities, delamination, capabilities of instruments and sometimes in
(PT) and magnetic particle testing (MT).
and foreign particles in composites and providing a single-pane-of-glass mechanism
These NDT technologies have been used
anisotropics. The defects usually occur on the in holistically managing the overarching
for decades but, with their own set of
surface or within a layer of fibre or resin, often process. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of
limitations in functionalities i.e. PT is capable
introduced during the materials fabrication. some eddy current instruments, for example,
of detecting only surface cracks and involves
With immediate and precise results, along restricts their abilities in identifying minute
human intervention in handling chemicals,
with a digital templatethat can share and flaws and loss of material that occurs due to
while MT is applicable on ferromagnetic
store data, ultrasonic testing addresses some friction stir welds and multi-layer structures.
materials alone. The other challenges for
of the challenges encountered with PT or MT. The embedded software in instruments
both methods include surface preparation
and chemical disposal which are often time- Eddy Current Testing: it is another swift, supporting single and dual-frequency eddy
consuming even with a skilled inspector precise, and chemical-free technique for current, rotating scanners, and conductivity
without the provision of a detailed digital detecting surface and sub-surface defects with viewing tools negates this limitation due
record of the inspection results. In case of such as cracks, corrosion, and heat damage. to SNR. Furthermore, Germany-based DÜRR
a hazardous or hard to reach area, further It is often used for inspecting airframe skins, NDT’sproprietary web-based application
delay can be expected. stringers, frames, rivet holes, tubing, and Drive NDT enables the unification of NDT
other ferrous and non-ferrous components. workflow, bringing test procedures on to a
Ultrasonic Testing: In case of ultrasonic
The methodology involves inducing single system. The system brings together
testing, the instruments and probes initiate
changing electromagnetic field from a probe all procedures, from order entry, inspector
high-frequency sound energy to detect
or coil into a metal surface. Any cracks or assignments, equipment, instructions, to test