Artificial intelligence doesn’t always get the best wrap. From fictional takes on the technology such as Skynet, from The Terminator series, destroying the world and Westworld’s new foreboding take on AI, to Stephen Hawking’s very real warning that artificial intelligence could end mankind, AI certainly doesn’t get as much love as other novel forms of technology like augmented reality or drones.
That doesn’t mean, however, AI isn’t currently being used for very useful applications. For example, a software firm based in Milan, Italy has been attempting to use machine learning algorithms to help buildings predict when their critical systems are about to fail.
According to newscientist.com, CGnal recently analyzed a year’s worth of data, such as temperature, humidity, and electrical use, from heating and ventilation units in an Italian hospital. The data related to appliances in operating theaters, first aid rooms, and corridors.
The firm then trained a machine learning algorithm on data from the first half of 2015 and looked for differences in the readings of similar appliances. When it was tested on data from the second half of the year, the system predicted 76 out of 124 real faults, including 41 out of 44 where an appliance’s temperature rose above tolerable levels, with a false positive rate of 5%, newscientist.com reports.
Augury, a start-up based in the United States, is also experimenting with machine learning. The company uses acoustic sensors that they install in machines to listen for audible changes in function in order to achieve the same result of predictive monitoring. So far, Augury has used the technology to diagnose machines in facilities such as hospitals, power plants, data centers, and a university campus.
By predicting these issues before they occur, facilities could be fixed before a crash ever occurs, saving time and money.
Related Stories
| Oct 11, 2011
Onex completes investment in JELD-WEN
With the completion of the JELD-WEN investment, Onex Partners III is approximately 40% invested.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: NEXT Living EcoSuite showcased
Tridel teams up with Cisco and Control4 to unveil the future of green condo living in Canada.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Johnson Controls announces Panoptix, a new approach to building efficiency
Panoptix combines latest technology, new business model and industry-leading expertise to make building efficiency easier and more accessible to a broader market.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Software an architectural game changer
Interactive modeling software transforms the designbuild process.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Sustainable construction should stress durability as well as energy efficiency
There is now a call for making enhanced resilience of a building’s structure to natural and man-made disasters the first consideration of a green building.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Solar PV canopy system expanded for architectural market
Turnkey systems create an aesthetic architectural power plant.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Johnsonite features sustainable products
Products include rubber flooring tiles, treads, wall bases, and more.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Wall protection line now eligible to contribute to LEED Pilot Credit 43
The Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Wall Protection Line offers an additional option for customers to achieve LEED project certification.
| Oct 3, 2011
Balance bunker and Phase III projects breaks ground at Mitsubishi Plant in Georgia
The facility, a modification of similar facilities used by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc. (MHI) in Japan, was designed by a joint design team of engineers and architects from The Austin Company of Cleveland, Ohio, MPSA and MHI.
| Oct 3, 2011
Cauceglia to lead Allsteel’s global accounts
Cauceglia is responsible for developing new global business strategies and expanding existing business within the Fortune 500 sector.