Analysing motorway bridges with technology from Mars
ETH spin-off Mondaic uses wave physics to analyse the interior of bridges, pipelines or aircraft components and check their stability. The story of how a scientific code for exploring Mars turned into a successful start-up.???
In brief
The principle behind the technology is simple: a wave – triggered by an ultrasound device, for example – moves through an object, and Mondaic uses sensors to measure how the waveform is modified by the object’s interior.
To date, researchers have used the Mondaic software to discover a previously unknown corridor in the Great Pyramid in Egypt, calculate the risk of earthquakes and monitor nuclear tests.
In Switzerland, the ETH spin-off is working with the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) on a project for inspecting bridges.
When the unmanned NASA probe InSight landed on Mars in late 2018, its mission was one that had never been carried out before: exploring the inner structure of the Red Planet. This was possible thanks to a highly sensitive seismometer developed in part by ETH Zurich. The instrument recorded even the slightest tremors caused by events such as marsquakes or meteorite impacts.
However, it would take more than just a measuring device to decipher the seismic data sent back to Earth by the Mars probe. Researchers from ETH Zurich therefore developed models and simulators that allowed them to infer the inner structure of Mars from this data.
One such researcher was Christian Boehm. Realising that the technology would not only work on Mars, he and his fellow team members Michael Afanasiev and Lion Krischer founded the ETH spin-off Mondaic in 2018. “What allowed us to probe the Red Planet back then is today helping us to look inside bridges, aircraft parts or other materials without having to cut them open or drill into them,” explains Boehm, who is now the managing director of Mondaic.
Waves from inside
The principle behind Mondaic’s technology is easily explained: a wave – triggered by an earthquake or an ultrasound device, for example – moves through a given object, be it a planet, a concrete pillar or the wing of an aircraft. Boehm and his team then use sensors to measure how the waveform is modified by the object’s interior.
The engineers from Mondaic compare this data with a digital twin that models the object’s physical characteristics. Boehm explains this process based on a pipeline: “For example, we use our software to simulate how an ultrasonic wave should move through the pipeline if it’s undamaged.” If the waveform of the real pipeline differs from that of its digital twin, Boehm and his team know that something is not right. In this way, they can work out that there must be cracks in the pipeline and where those cracks are located, for example.
“What allowed us to probe the Red Planet is today helping us to look inside bridges, aircraft parts or other materials.”Christian Boehm, managing director of Mondaic
From research code to product
Mondaic’s software was originally created as part of several research projects in the Seismology and Wave Physics group, which is led by Andreas Fichtner. However, the researchers encountered numerous obstacles in the process of turning a code for research purposes into a marketable product: “We had to rethink everything in order to make the software stable and user-friendly and to fully automate the application – from the measurement data to the finished image,” says co-founder Boehm.
The strength of Mondaic lies in its combination of precise wave physics and efficient cloud technology. What was previously only possible on high-performance computers such as those found at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano can now be calculated in the cloud in just a few minutes. “The efficiency of modern cloud solutions makes our technology competitive and suitable for everyday use, including outside the world of research,” explains Boehm.
Today, the ETH spin-off provides not only software but also complete solutions for inspections – including sensors, cloud solutions and consultancy. Accordingly, the technology can even be used by people with no knowledge of wave physics.
Pyramids, pipelines and aeroplanes
There are a wide range of possible applications, from geophysics to the monitoring of components. For example, the Mondaic software has allowed researchers to discover a previously unknown corridor in the Great Pyramid in Egypt, calculate the risk of earthquakes and monitor nuclear tests.
That is not all, however. In Germany, the team from Mondaic is analysing the condition of bridges in collaboration with the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and the company Vallen Systeme. Here, the focus is primarily on acoustic emission data. “People often refer to this technique as microseismology, because the fracturing of a prestressed tension cable inside a bridge is like a small earthquake – and we can detect this with our software,” says Boehm.
In Switzerland, too, the ETH spin-off is working with the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) on a project for the inspection of bridges. Here, the engineers transmit targeted ultrasonic waves through bridge components and analyse their waveforms. This can be used to detect and localise air inclusions, water damage or incorrectly pressed mortar joints at an early stage, allowing the authorities to repair damaged bridges in good time.
From Earth back to Mars?
Mondaic’s technology also has potential applications in the aerospace industry. In collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and researchers from ETH Zurich, Boehm and his team have tested a component made of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer such as that used in the outer shells of aircraft. Mondaic’s software was able to discover damage that had arisen during manufacturing. “This demonstrates our method’s potential for the quality control of high-tech components,” says Boehm.
What began as a scientific tool for studying Mars is now helping to improve the safety of components and infrastructure on Earth. However, Boehm is not quite finished with the Red Planet: “Maybe, one day, a component inspected by Mondaic will fly to Mars. Until we reach that stage, however, we’ve got plenty to do here on Earth.”
The ETH spin-off Mondaic was supported by the external page European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre Switzerland (ESA BIC Switzerland). The program is run by ETH Zurich and supports startups with a "Space connection".