The CEIT-IK4 research center, together with the firm Integrasys, have jointly developed a system of sensors for aircraft which acts like a real time black box. By continually monitoring a plane’s condition it can spot potential problems far before they take place.

Spanish engineers from the department of electronics and telecommunications at the CEIT-IK4 research center, in collaboration with the company Integrasys, have just unveiled an innovative system for maintaining aircraft. It’s a type of black box that monitors the condition of a plane in real time. The system is not intended to be a black box that detects malfunctions while a plane is in flight; that is, it will not report that a component of an aircraft is about to stop working. Instead, it will locate potential problems much farther in advance (weeks, or even months) in order to alert maintenance personnel.

The sensors are strategically placed along an aircraft’s structure and in areas that are difficult for mechanics to access. They are connected via Wi-Fi to a central onboard node and to a ground control center.

The system covers safety gaps in aviation maintenance and, above all, in monitoring the structural integrity of an aircraft, its internal wiring, wing performance and the condition of the fuselage. The sensors can analyze, for example, if certain types of vibrations represent a hazard for specific models of aircraft.

The Spanish research center has already received inquiries from the Greek defense industry. One of its major areas of potential is cutting the cost of maintenance work.