Neuron soundware Partners in Hands-On Showcase for Virtual Reality and Predictive Maintenance in Production Industry

Neuron soundware was invited to partner with T-Systems to carry out a project at the Center Connected Industry (CCI) that shows how to use the new communication standard 5G in an industrial environment.

Real-time analysis of machine noise using artificial intelligence algorithms is the core competence of Neuron soundware and the basis for discovering anomalies in the behavior of the robot arm and its handling process.

Anomaly detection is the first step on the journey to digitize industrial servicing using predictive maintenance and presented in virtual reality glasses. It is pure innovation!

Showcasing the potential of sound data processing for industrial utilization

Neuron soundware is a selected partner by T-SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL GmbH for a project demonstrating the potential of mobile communication (4G and 5G) for industrial utilization such as robotic arm handling items in production.

Neuron soundware and T-Systems have built a common showcase within the last 6 months as a part of the 5G Telekom Campus network at the Center Connected Industry (CCI) in Aachen. Every visitor can see the applications of the industrial demo elements such as:

• industrial robot
• hard- and software for noise analytics
• IoT platform
• AR/VR glasses (Glasses for augmented reality and virtual reality)
• application and communication interfaces

The part of Neuron soundware covers the acquisition and processing of sound data from the robot during operation. With the help of AI algorithms anomalies in the noise images can be discovered and indications of future machine errors can be given. This paves the way for predictive maintenance.

Detecting anomalous behavior of the robot with AI algorithms

When you enter the Aachen campus of CCI, you can see and feel the digitalization of industrial machine operation. Artificial intelligence and IoT solutions work together with an industrial robot arm. You can truly experience the near future of industry servicing and machine maintenance.

nBox, the IoT device by Neuron soundware, is connected to the robot by 2 piezo-electric audio sensors monitoring the movement and the state of the robot. The data from the sensors are pre-processed directly on the edge device. This means the microprocessor in the nBox runs artificial intelligence algorithms to compute all calculations without the need for any machine data leaving the premises.

Machine learning algorithms analyze acoustic patterns in real-time and thus detect mechanical wear or malfunctions of the robot at an early stage. This can significantly minimize the unplanned downtimes in the production process.

The AI analyses movements of the robot arm and detects anomalous behavior, which is critical to the production process. For instance, the incorrect kinematic movement of one robotic arm at the production line can cause the damage of costly components. The prevention of such malfunction makes production smoother and less expensive.

In the actual showcase, we use AR goggles to display deviations from the normal and expected state of the robot arm. The data transfer between the edge device and the monitoring systems is carried out by using the 5G campus net of the CCI. When there is an inspection of the robot, the machine is automatically recognized by the AR glasses and its relevant data are presented on its screen.

However, you don’t need to use VR goggles to step into the future. The conventional dashboards providing real-time monitoring data, and notifications about the production state are part of our customer’s equipment nowadays on any device.

“From our experience, the relevant data mutually shared across whole factory staff is the most common issue in production nowadays. Imagine a technician walking across the factory floor, and the key production information is displayed next to each machine. The health state of each asset is provided in real-time. The digitized dashboards, which provide all information for the floor worker directly, are truly Industry 4.0 transformation features”, says Pavel Konečný, founder of Neuron soundware.

Take a leapfrog into industrial digitalization and contact the experts on Industry 4.0 today!

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