Robotic Sensors as the Eyes and Ears of New Jet Engines—Dr. James Kell—Rolls-Royce Engineering Company

Rolls-Royce is an engineering company that makes jet engines which get distributed all over the world for use in land, air, and sea. Some engines made in the 1960s are still in use, and they aren't actually that different from the engines being made today—that is, with one main (and important) exception: they weren't designed with service or repair ability in mind. Without this design, repairs can be time-consuming and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is where the importance of keyholes—small holes through which repairs can be completed in the field—on jet engines becomes particularly important.

As a technologist at Rolls-Royce engineering company, Dr. James Kell explains new ways of allowing more service ability with these engines, and how this challenge has spurred new projects and designs for the construction of jet engines. For example, the team at Rolls-Royce has already created engine health monitoring networks capable of monitoring an engine's temperature, pressure, and vibration. The newest project in the works is a permanently embedded camera network that would provide an unprecedented amount of insight into the functional health of the engines that the world so heavily relies upon.

Tune in for all the details on this intriguing topic. To learn more, visit the media section of the Rolls-Royce website at rolls-royce.com.