When lift inspectors talk to themselves

At TÜV NORD, defect detection is supported by artificial intelligence.

The first lift inspectors at TÜV NORD now have the support of an AI (artificial intelligence) in their work: From now on, the experts will document defects during the inspection by voice input and no longer on the computer as before. The advantages: Time savings and even greater accuracy.

The periodic lift inspection is carried out in the same way as before, with the inspector examining the entire system. Many details are scrutinised: These include the electronic control system, the traction sheave and the steel cables in the machine room, the emergency call and the lighting in the lift car itself; a number of inspections are also carried out on the roof of the car.

“Previously, the experts had to type observed defects into an input mask on the computer. Now they only have to talk to the AI via their smartphone,” says Daniel Contreras Schaffeld, Business Development Manager at TÜV NORD and responsible for implementing the AI-supported voice recognition software for lift inspections. “This may sound like talking to yourself to outsiders, but it makes the work much easier because you have your hands free and can concentrate fully on the test steps.” The AI now takes care of documenting the inspection, i.e. categorising the defects identified. After the inspection, the experts can concentrate on quality assurance and their report, as the defects identified have already been recorded.

The introduction of the AI-supported speech recognition software “voize” was preceded by a long phase of training. First of all, the relevant defects and frequently occurring references to describe defects had to be recorded. The AI then had to be trained to recognise, interpret and correctly assign spoken terms and defect classifications. The advantage for the experts is that they no longer have to learn a catalogue of terms by heart. In addition, the AI understands terms even if they have changed in the meantime, such as the term “pipe burst protection”, which is now defined as “pipe burst valve” in the catalogue of terms. The AI is also trained to correctly interpret “proprietary” terms and abbreviations used by experts.

“However, it is not enough for the AI to learn these terms,” says Daniel Contreras Schaffeld. “People are people, not machines.” The AI must understand dialects and linguistic colourings and react to them correctly. For this reason, the AI was tested with twenty experts from all over Germany and trained to recognise voices and dialects.

The documentation of lift inspections is not the final step for Mr. Contreras Schaffeld: He would also like to upgrade the software for other areas of activity of TÜV NORD’s Industry business unit: These include tests in the areas of steam and pressure, testing of playground equipment and escalators. It will also be offered in other languages to support TÜV NORD colleagues in other countries.

Before that, however, TÜV NORD’s lift inspectors in Germany are to work with the software across the board; the AI is now being made available to them. Daniel Contreras Schaffeld is confident that the solution will be well received.

About TÜV NORD GROUP

Since our foundation more than 150 years ago, we have been the global byword for security and trust. As a knowledge-based company, we have the digital future firmly in mind. With specialists ranging from engineers and IT security professionals to professionals for the mobility of tomorrow, we use our expertise in over 100 countries to ensure that our customers will be even more successful in the networked world.

Deputy Head of Corporate Newsroom; Energy & Resources; Industry
Annika BurchardCorporate Communications

Tel.: +49 201 8251421
aburchard@tuev-nord.de

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