Rolls-Royce launched IntelligentEngine at this year’s Singapore Airshow. This is a new initiative aimed towards developing intelligent aircraft engines with an improved efficiency and safety based on their ability to communicate with each other. They would be able to learn from the previous experiences of other engines as well as their own and might one day be able to repair themselves.
Aerospace engines are complex pieces of machinery and require a great deal of care and maintenance. Air travel is only increasing and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This is becoming a major problem keeping up with the repairs.
IntelligentEngine will be aimed to work towards a future where engine design, testing, and maintenance uses digital technology to further blend engines and support services. The technology will allow the engines to connect to other engines and support services and use machine learning. They will be conscious of their surroundings and will not only learn but will begin to anticipate the requirements and make any changes necessary. This will improve efficiency and decrease the risks and costs.
The engine will be able to deal with problems before they arise and it is too late using two-way communication with the engine and other parts of the ecosystem. Rolls-Royce believes that artificial intelligence and advanced robotics will allow the engines of the future to not only know when they need to be repaired but will carry out the repairs themselves.
“We are determined to pioneer the power that matters for our customers and our IntelligentEngine vision will allow us to do this”, says Dominic Horwood, Rolls-Royce, Director, Customer and Services – Civil Aerospace. “We have the right people, the right skills and the right infrastructure to grasp this opportunity and deliver world-beating digital insight, helping us to deliver even greater value for our customers.”
You can see the video below to see the vision of IntelligentEngine:
