Cartesiam, a B2B software publisher specializing in artificial intelligence embedded in objects, and éolane, a leading provider of industrial services in electronics and connected solutions, announce their partnership for the launch of Bob, the world's first maintenance assistant to integrate artificial intelligence directly into sensors. This assistant enables predictive maintenance to be carried out on all sensitive equipment in industrial environments, in total autonomy, based on machine vibrations.
According to analysis by MarketsandMarkets, the predictive maintenance market is set to grow from 1,404.3 million USD in 2016 to 4,904.0 million USD in 2021, at a CAGR of 28.4 % between 2016 and 2021. Bob is the solution likely to revolutionize this market with, for the first time, artificial intelligence functionalities directly integrated into a sensor capable of learning autonomously, without any specific link to an "intelligent" cloud. This technological feat, which reduces the cost of access to industrial predictive maintenance solutions, is the fruit of a partnership between éolane, for electronic hardware and IOT solutions, and Cartesiam for software/IA.
The "Shazam" of vibrations
Imagine having a highly-qualified predictive maintenance assistant on your factory floor at all times, listening to the machines and able to give early warning of any abnormal behavior, even before a problem impacts the production line! Now it's possible: Bob fulfills this mission, diagnosing in real time the state of health of the equipment to be monitored. The assistant consists of vibration and temperature sensors. The latter, via powerful Machine Learning and on-board artificial intelligence, enable Bob to understand his environment, build up his reference knowledge, and then monitor the behavior of the equipment on which he has been installed, 24 hours a day. Bob is thus able to recognize the signature of normal or abnormal vibrations, just as Shazam would for music. At regular intervals, Bob sends a report on the machine's activity and health via LoRaWan radio. As soon as it detects a problem or drift, Bob immediately transmits an alert, i.e. the result of its analysis, to a supervision console, an IOT platform on the Internet or an operator's smartphone. Bob doesn't transmit any data, just the results of its analysis. So production data is never sent to a cloud.
100 % Intelligent Edge
Should we send more and more data to the cloud, or add intelligence to connected objects? Bob provides calculation and analysis capabilities directly at the source, where the data is generated, and then transforms it into useful information. Completely autonomous, Bob can also interface with the power of the cloud, if required, to add context to the information it receives. Compatible with LoRa networks (LoRaWan prococole), Bob doesn't send data to the cloud for analysis like a simple sensor, but instead sends value-added information derived from onboard artificial intelligence, making this solution unprecedented in the sector. After a period of validation at major industrial sites (EDF, Véolia), but also at SMEs such as SJD décolletage, Bob is now available for industrial testing. Bob will be marketed as a monthly subscription in the coming weeks.
Industry 4.0, simple, fast and with minimal investment
The transition to Industry 4.0 is complex, costly and involves many issues.
First of all, the technical challenges are considerable. These relate to IT security, data availability and management (Big Data), and the implementation of digital infrastructures. The non-technical challenges, on the other hand, are linked to major implementation efforts, cooperation between all stakeholders, training and high levels of investment. Many companies are reluctant to take the plunge, even when they have the means to do so. By analyzing each of these challenges and coming up with innovative solutions, éolane and Cartesiam have designed Bob. Bob makes it quick and easy to implement a vibration-based predictive maintenance solution for industrial machines, perfectly suited to Industry 4.0.
For Jacques-Thierry Monti, EDF Regional Director for Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur: "... we were able to deploy Bob on the engines of our thermal power plant in Ajaccio, Corsica. This enabled us to benefit from the expertise of a dozen ultra-specialized maintenance agents, directly at the service of our on-site maintenance teams, who were able to appreciate this high-quality technological reinforcement".
For Boris Lejean, Director of Innovation at Veolia Germany: "... the solution was deployed at 3 Veolia sites in Germany over a period of 6 months. We were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to implement, and by the immediate added value perceived by our maintenance teams. Having ten or so expert 'assistants' on hand at all times to listen, analyze your equipment and alert you before problems arise, has given our maintenance teams a great deal of peace of mind, without changing any of our current processes."
Learn more: www.cartesiam.com