Abstract
In this chapter, a possible outlook into the future is provided. Considering the newest technology on the market in the young research field of AAL (see Chapter 4), and the youngest research projects (see Chapter 5), new possibilities will exist in the future design of buildings. Buildings mainly consist of four walls and a ceiling, with water and electrical supply. However, with increasing demand for assistive technologies, and with an increasing technology readiness level (TRL) [187] for assistive technologies, there will be a time when this new technology approach will fuse with future building design and construction.
In this chapter, a possible outlook into the future is provided. Considering the newest technology on the market in the young research field of AAL (see Chapter 4), and the youngest research projects (see Chapter 5), new possibilities will exist in the future design of buildings. Buildings mainly consist of four walls and a ceiling, with water and electrical supply. However, with increasing demand for assistive technologies, and with an increasing technology readiness level (TRL) [187] for assistive technologies, there will be a time when this new technology approach will fuse with future building design and construction.
6.1 Robotic and Automated Repair, Renovation, and Maintenance in Other Fields
The techniques and procedures used in other fields could be implemented, after an adaptation, in building renovation and AAL topics. In this chapter, the general ideas behind these fields will be explained.
6.1.1 Aircraft Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO)
The main commercial passenger aircrafts fly under extreme circumstances. Often, they are constantly in use and they therefore need constant checking, maintenance, and if needed, repairs. The life span of a plane is often 30 years, and during their lifespan many of their parts are repaired. In order to successfully and efficiently achieve this goal, new technologies have been developed.
For instance, at the Lufthansa Technik AG center [188], three main research concepts have been conceived:
Adaptive CNC milling: cost-efficient repair processes for the valuable components;
Robot-based CFRP material repair procedure ready for mobile deployment;
Augmented Reality.
For instance, within the research project name “CAIRE,” a robot placed in a mobile platform was able to recognize and repair damages on the external fuselage of an airplane.
It has to be said that the repair of the aircraft takes place in a hangar: a controlled environment when compared to other buildings. Also, with regard to logistics, it can be said that the main necessary items for the renovation can either be on the workshop or must arrive on time.
Figure 6.1 Automated detection and repair of composite materials.
6.1.2 Automated Repair of Ships
The ship industry is similar to the building industry. Regarding maintenance, several robots have already been developed. As with buildings, two aspects must be considered:
The ship’s hull (body)
The services and mechanical devices.
In regard to the operability of the robots and considering that the repair of the ships is mostly outdoors, there is parallelism with buildings. These concepts are explained further by Fernandez-Andrés et al. [189].
6.1.3 Automated Maintenance, Repair, and Replacement of Oil and Gas Platforms
Oil and gas plants normally consist of kilometers of pipes and tubes which are normally within corrosive environments. Especially for off-shore oil and gas platforms, there is a need to replace damaged elements [190].
In these cases, the replaced elements need to be fixed fast enough in order not to stop the extraction of oil or gas.
The possibilities of on-site manufacturing are reduced due to the decreased space of the platform. Therefore, already built-in modules are used. These modules are prefabricated in an on-shore factory.
Figure 6.3 Simulation of off-shore robotic platforms developed by SINTEF (Robotnor).
6.1.4 Medical Implant Technology
Medical implants are meant to replace or support damaged biological bodies. Somehow, this concept is very much related to building refurbishment, where the unnecessary, defective, or downgraded building elements need to be removed and replaced. Which knowledge can be subtracted from the field of medical implants and reproduced in building refurbishment? In medical implanting, there is an adaptation and fixation of a “standard element” onto a particular geometry. Similar to the case of the buildings, every biological body has a particular and different geometry, and therefore, data acquisition is particularly of high importance. Besides, the implanting technology takes into consideration that the manual positioning of the implant is itself prone to some tolerances. Focusing on dental implants, three parts can be identified: the implant, the abutment, and the crown. Briefly explained, a dental implant process is as follows:
Session 1: First, there is an overall measurement with X-ray or Computed Tomography (CT) scan. This step is done prior to surgery in order to check the current condition of bones and teeth.
Session 2: Once there is an accurate diagnosis and the treatment is defined, the surgery process can start:
First, a hole is carefully made onto the bone, controlling the location with an alignment pin. After that, the implant is inserted into the hole.
Once the implant fixture is inserted into the bone, another geometrical data acquisition is necessary so that the crown can be accurately produced. There are two ways for doing so:
∘ Conventional impression taking with flexible material.
∘ Digital data scanning. This procedure is more accurate than the conventional impression.
Normally in a specialized outsourced workshop, the crown is accurately crafted in specialized workshops.
Session 3: On a final surgery session, the abutment and the crown are inserted.
Recent studies [191] show that there are possibilities to create a bespoke implant that can be placed onto the cavity of the root. This can be done using direct laser metal forming (DLMF) for the manufacturing of the implant, which can also prevent the need of several surgery procedures.
