Artificial Intelligence Added To Advanced Video Borescope For Remote Inspections

Waygate Technologies has announced the upgrading of its high-end Everest Mentor Visual iQ (MViQ) VideoProbe for remote visual inspection. The software upgrade enables Waygate Technologies to offer the most advanced video borescopes with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to various industries such as aerospace, energy and petrochemicals.

With an all new operating system MViQ OS 3.6, which includes several new significant features and applications, the company is utilizing AI to assist inspectors in defect recognition (ADR) for visual inspection. It also introduces the data management platform InspectionWorks, a solution from Waygate Technologies to not only efficiently acquire, store, and analyze visual inspection data but also act on insights gained from the data across the entire lifecycle. Rather than just detecting defects in critical assets, this enables customers to avoid them entirely by improving processes, workflows, and product design.

All MViQ users are able to upgrade their MViQ devices to the latest software version through the over-the-air (OTA) update service on a connected device or by going to the InspectionWorks Store at inspectionworks.com and downloading the update. All new features are automatically enabled on the device for a 90 day trial period, after which selected upgrades can be purchased.

“Our customers are facing a growing demand to increase productivity and reduce downtime while having to complete an increasing number of inspections in less time. With this update of the flagship videoscope Everest Mentor Visual iQ and its AI-enabled ADR, analysis and measurement capabilities, we support customers with accelerating processes and make visual inspection more easily accessible to a greater number of customers – all while ensuring high probability of detection and promoting quick decision making”, says Mike Domke, executive general manager, Visual and Advanced Inspection Solutions at Waygate Technologies.

Analytics For More Intelligent Inspections

The on-board analytical capabilities of Everest Mentor Visual iQ streamline the inspection workflow, further improve probability of detection (POD) for industrial assets by 150 percent compared with the previous MViQ OS. To increase inspection output and make processes more efficient, ADR minimizes human error rates thanks to intelligent training, as it automatically detects and characterizes defects in real time.

Smart Collaboration For Smart Inspections

In collaboration with Aiir Innovations, Waygate Technologies’ MViQ borescope now offers a solution for identification and classification of defects directly on the device. The Aiir Lite analytic is a standalone still image version of Aiir’s artificial intelligence analytic. It comes in two variants – Aiir Lite Rotate for airfoil surfaces, and Aiir Lite Combustor for the hot section. Both analytics enable detection of defects in common commercial aircraft engine types. Via the InspectionWorks ecosystem from Waygate Technologies, analytics can be deployed to the borescopes, placing AI and ADR at the fingertips of the end user. By providing technology that assists with this kind of defect detection, inspections become faster, more reliable and uptime of the asset is increased.

New Features For Better Inspections

With the latest OS release, the Everest Mentor Visual iQ is the only video borescope with built-in artificial intelligence enabling users to:

3D Stitching: With groundbreaking advances in image processing, 3D stitching leverages the measurement and analysis capabilities of Real3D to enable ‘panoramic’ images for a complete 3D point cloud of the asset allowing users to measure larger defects across multiple images, accurately locate the position of defects in relation to a fixed point of interest, and inspect, interrogate and report more of the scene.

Defect Detection: Analytic tools assist the inspector with detecting and classifying types of possible defects in the inspection of commercial aviation engine types as well as aeroderivative gas turbine engines. Defect detection reduces the probability of missing indications assisting the inspector and helping to reduce total inspection times.

Blade Counter: This analytic automatically counts engine blades as they pass in order to avoid the risk of human error and ensuring the right information corresponds to the right blade. Thanks to repetitive labelling capabilities tedious tasks can be removed and inspection times reduced.

The Everest MViQ VideoProbe is the world’s most capable video borescope in the market, updated with new hardware and software annually to keep up with the demands of inspection. It covers a wide range of patented or in-house technologies including:

Real3D Measurement combines fully surfaced point cloud visualization, advanced measurement algorithms and an insightful 3D Surface Mask to enable more accurate and repeatable measurement decisions.

TrueSight Imaging: a blend of high-resolution image capturing and processing functions, precision optics and a powerful suite of proprietary image transforms used to enable better visual inspection decisions.

Digital tools and connectivity including over-the-air (OTA) software updates provided annually, Menu Directed Inspection (MDI) for inspection workflow management and report generation.

For more information: www.bakerhughesds.com/waygate-technologies