Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has been steadily building up the intelligence capabilities in its aero engines.
In April 2018, Rolls-Royce was one of the companies whose artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives were highlighted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Rolls-Royce also announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Alan Turing Institute to work together on developing next-generation AI, specifically for use in industrial applications.
In February 2018, at the Singapore Airshow, the company unveiled its IntelligentEngine vision powered by AI and advanced data analytics.
To support greater numbers of airline passengers, the IntelligentEngine strategy wraps a service around the engine, supported by intelligent sensors. Rolls-Royce says this offers a wealth of opportunities to improve the way it provides power to its customers.
In addition to designing, testing and maintaining engines in the digital realm, the IntelligentEngine vision sets out a future where an engine will be increasingly connected, contextually aware and comprehending, helping to deliver greater reliability and efficiency. Specifically, engines will connect with other engines and will be contextually aware, allowing them to respond to the environment around them without human intervention. Through the IntelligentEngine initiative, an aero engine will be able to learn from its own experiences and from its network of peers, and will adjust its behaviour to achieve best performance, according to Rolls-Royce. The initiative is supported by Rolls-Royce’s R2 Data Labs, an acceleration hub for data innovation launched in December 2017.
The lab provides a centre for advanced data analytics, industrial AI and machine learning research, along with product development. The lab currently provides four main products: design optimisation, integrated lifing, fleet planning and MRO insight. The design optimisation tool uses operational and environmental data to simulate how different component designs would perform and last in service. Integrated lifing is a methodology that uses “digital twins” to predict the remaining life of engines and their components, based on the detailed conditions they are expected to experience in service.
R2 Data also offers a fleet planning application that explores over 25 years of in-service data to understand how changes to customer fleet operations could deliver improved aircraft efficiency and availability. The MRO insight tool is said to close the learning loop by capturing the condition of used parts to inform improvements to design, manufacture and usage.
Andrew Hutson-Smith is chief business officer for R2 Data Labs, responsible for business development and strategy. His role at Rolls-Royce is to focus on using technology such as AI to enhance existing services and create new ones for customers in all of the sectors Rolls-Royce operates in. Read more about AI in manufacturing Rolls-Royce is developing autonomous ships – the company’s senior vice-president of ship intelligence discusses how shipping will change. Adopting an outcomes-based approach to service delivery Adopting an outcomes-based approach to service delivery could be the key to differentiating your offerings from competitors. Speaking to Computer Weekly, Hutson-Smith says: “R2 Data Labs is a central group in Rolls-Royce, which is used to accelerate the use of AI and analytics in the business and investigate ways for the company to become more digital.
