In 2008, Sanchiro Yoshida and Southeastern Louisiana University were awarded a patent for developing a system that could measure the structural integrity of large and small objects. His system was able to measure the spaces between molecules on large bridges, and it could also measure the structural integrity of an object the size of a small grain of sand. The technology is amazing, and it is used to determine weaknesses in structures so that those weaknesses can be addressed.
Yoshida’s system has also been used to help analyze older bridges and other structures to determine how badly they needed to be repaired or replaced. As the Internet of Things (IoT)continues to grow, researchers are always looking for ways to adapt existing technology into smart technology. In 2015, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have combined portions of Yoshida’s idea with their own ideas and put them to work with an IoT system to create a smart building.
New technology can now tell us when bridges are in need of repair or replacement.
What Is A Smart Building?
A smart building is able to monitor itself and report any issues to a central point before those issues become problematic. For example, if a construction site gets set up next to a smart building and the vibrations from the construction site are weakening the building’s structure, then the building can let its owner know and the owner can take action. With IoT built into a smart building, the building itself would be able to start its own repairs in advance of a crew coming in to take care of the problem.
The MIT technology is designed to allow a building to analyze itself after a sizeable event such as an earthquake or explosion, and start to take action on repairs while sending all of the data engineers would need to complete repairs and make the building safe again. The researchers tried the system out in an MIT building that was built in 1960 and the results showed that the building was extremely sturdy, and the data captured showed that the building was in excellent condition.
It won’t be long before buildings can tell us when they need to be repaired, and they can start the repairs themselves.
How Does It Work?
The technology developed by Yoshida sends two microscopic rays of light into a structure and makes measurements where the beams of light cross. It takes time to do a sizeable measurement, but the results in terms of structural integrity have been found to be very accurate.
The MIT process measures any kind of environmental disturbance, whether it be wind or ground vibrations, surrounding the building and mixes that information with the structural analyses of the building done by sensors to decide the true condition of the building. As with the Yoshida process, the information is extremely accurate. It may be, at some point in the future, that the two systems will mix to give engineers an incredibly detailed look at the structural integrity of any structure of any size.
As technology moves forward, your company needs to stay up on the latest developments. When you start a course with PDH Contractors, you will have access to all of the latest information you need to make sure that your company is ready to handle the future of the construction industry.