21 May 2024 Voltin takes the lead in technology to safeguard building structures and lives

High-rise building defects a tall challenge

In recent years, structural disasters or faults such as Grenfell Towers in London, the Champlain Tower in Miami and the Opal and Mascot Towers in Sydney have resulted in tragic loss of life or led to considerable financial losses for the building owners.

Voltin Founder and Director Steve Thornton believes there are very few high-rise buildings immune to defects anywhere in the world.

‘We believe the current process of defect detection which relies on people hanging from ropes and performing visual inspections is very outdated,’ Steve said.

‘It is slow, costly and error-prone. There had to be a better way.’

On top of that, drones are not a suitable solution due to restrictions on their use in populated or controlled airspace.

Steve identified a gap in the market. What the company came up with was the AutoBAT data capture device.

The Voltin solution

Voltin launched its AutoBAT 1.0 data capture device in 2020, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) alongside satellite location information to provide comprehensive assessment reports and maintenance schedules.

In 2022, the Australian Government changed the national building code, requiring all commercial building owners to certify a building facade’s structural safety and integrity every five years. In 2023, the company upgraded the tech with the release of AutoBAT 3.0.

‘Our core team of mechatronic engineers worked closely with QUT Design Engineers and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub at Northgate, converting a concept into reality,’ Steve said.

‘We have created an innovative, dynamic technology with real-world application that is low-cost, allowing safe, detailed facade assessments of multi-storey commercial and residential towers in densely populated areas.’

‘Our vision is to create 10,000 safer cities'.

With an unparalleled ability to locate and identify issues, Voltin's Facade Defect Detection system not only ensures the safety of structures but also contributes to their efficiency and longevity.

‘We have had approaches from interested parties all around the world including Dubai, Abu Dabi, Bahrain, India and the US.’

How AutoBAT works

The AutoBAT device is deployed by lowering or elevating it down the facade of a building using a boom or Building Maintenance Unit.

It then uses thermal and RGB cameras that capture light in red, green and blue wavelengths to take hundreds of images per minute to detect anomalies and defects within the building facade. A propellor system ensures the device remains on a steady flight path.

The advantage of this tech is that a full building scan can take hours instead of days, enabling AutoBAT to do it in a third of the time and at a considerably lower cost than other methods.

‘Using the Voltin system is much like giving a building an MRI’.

‘We thank the government for this assistance – it has been vital.’