Future ENEL: SENSEable Power Plant in Mochovce, Slovakia

Future ENEL is a new multi-disciplinary initiative at MIT aimed at researching futuristic sensor technologies applied to the construction and operation life cycle management of energy plants that will contribute to shaping the vision of energy management in the 21st century.

"FUTURE ENEL" aims to ensure an optimum level of safety, efficiency and reliability in work areas, yard sites and power plants, through the introduction of advanced technologies, new processes and rules to enable an effective and shared change.

Leveraging real-world case studies provided by the energy giant ENEL, Future ENEL will focus on development of technologies and techniques for the real-time sensing, modeling and advanced visualization of stationary and moving objects within power plants and related construction sites.

Research Areas:
(*) Development of ideas and strategies for real-time monitoring, sensing and visualization of the construction of a power plant - in particular how tracking technologies could facilitate the development of top safety standards.

(*) Imagining a virtual control room for the construction sites of nuclear power plants, aimed at real time monitoring of people and materials "on the move," to include feedback loops for worker safety.

(*) Developing ideas and concepts for the senseable plant so as to enable a nervous system and self-healing capabilities for the plant using new sensors, tangible interfaces and visualization methods.

REAL-TIME SENSING: Development of ideas and strategies for real-time monitoring, sensing and visualization of the construction of a power plant - in particular how tracking technologies for people, assets and facility access/egress mechanisms could facilitate the development of top safety standards.

Features being evaluated for the wireless monitoring and sensing system include: (*) Communicates with wearable/mobile devices in mesh network, (*) Serves as reference beacon for location system, (*) Audio system with DSP, (*) AVR32, and (*) Environmental Sensing.

VIRTUAL CONTROL ROOM: Imagining a virtual control room for the construction sites of nuclear power plants, aimed at real time monitoring of people and materials ‘on the move,’ to include feedback loops for worker safety.

Explore use of new ways to report/alert workers and their team members and new tangible interfaces including advanced controls "to grasp and manipulate bits" (REG) so as to enable construction workers to interact safely and effectively with each other and their environment.
NERVOUS SYSTEM: Developing ideas and concepts for the senseable plant so as to enable a nervous system and self-healing capabilities for the plant using new sensors, tangible interfaces and visualization methods.

Research use of real-time architectural space as interface for construction workers and supervisors. Ideas to explore include a new visual language to communicate about safety both locally and globally, analogous to the way in which human nervous systems function.