Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LumoGen1 (Pioneering automated building digitisation with Lumoview for empowered decision-making in energy-efficient building renovation)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-03-31
Buildings in the European Union account for 36% of CO2 emissions and nearly 40% of energy consumption. Over 220 million buildings were constructed before 2001, and the majority are not energy efficient. To address this, the EU’s Renovation Wave strategy aims to double the annual renovation rate by 2030, targeting 35 million units and a 60% reduction in emissions. However, outdated tools and fragmented data hinder effective energy-efficient (EE) renovations.
Lumoview Building Analytics GmbH, a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is tackling this challenge with an innovative solution: a patented handheld scanner that enables fast, automated digitisation of building interiors. A single scan captures comprehensive structural and thermal data in just two seconds per room. This information is processed via cloud-based algorithms and delivered through an intuitive platform compatible with Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems.
The result is an end-to-end system that produces floor plans, 3D-CAD models, digital room books, and thermal assessments without the need for manual post-processing. Lumoview’s technology makes building assessments faster and cheaper than conventional methods. It significantly boosts the operational capacity of building professionals and enables building owners to make informed decisions quickly, accelerating EE renovation efforts.
By simplifying data collection and ensuring interoperability, Lumoview directly supports the goals of the European Green Deal, Renovation Wave, and revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The project aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 11, and 13 by promoting affordable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and climate action.
With the support of the EIC Accelerator, Lumoview is transitioning from a service provider to a scalable technology company. Its subscription-based model ensures broad accessibility, and by 2028, the company expects to digitise millions of square meters of building space each year.
This project addresses one of Europe’s most urgent environmental and economic needs—decarbonising its building stock—while promoting innovation, job creation, and improved quality of life through smarter, greener buildings.
Lumoview Building Analytics GmbH, a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is tackling this challenge with an innovative solution: a patented handheld scanner that enables fast, automated digitisation of building interiors. A single scan captures comprehensive structural and thermal data in just two seconds per room. This information is processed via cloud-based algorithms and delivered through an intuitive platform compatible with Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems.
The result is an end-to-end system that produces floor plans, 3D-CAD models, digital room books, and thermal assessments without the need for manual post-processing. Lumoview’s technology makes building assessments faster and cheaper than conventional methods. It significantly boosts the operational capacity of building professionals and enables building owners to make informed decisions quickly, accelerating EE renovation efforts.
By simplifying data collection and ensuring interoperability, Lumoview directly supports the goals of the European Green Deal, Renovation Wave, and revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The project aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 11, and 13 by promoting affordable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and climate action.
With the support of the EIC Accelerator, Lumoview is transitioning from a service provider to a scalable technology company. Its subscription-based model ensures broad accessibility, and by 2028, the company expects to digitise millions of square meters of building space each year.
This project addresses one of Europe’s most urgent environmental and economic needs—decarbonising its building stock—while promoting innovation, job creation, and improved quality of life through smarter, greener buildings.
The project has made strong progress on its technical and scientific objectives during the first reporting period. Key achievements include significant enhancements to the LumoScanner hardware and LumoCloud software platform.
We improved structural measurement accuracy by integrating IMU sensors for real-time user feedback. This enables the system to flag inaccurate scans due to tilt or motion, achieving precision below 1 cm. Automated hardware calibration and improved communication protocols were introduced to reduce scan time and avoid timing delays. Explorations into alternative height sensors and lidar systems led to the adoption of a robust tilt-based measurement method.
Thermal accuracy was enhanced through improved infrared sensor protection, casing modifications to reduce internal heating, and refined synchronisation between thermal and visual data.
Design modifications were implemented to support future upscaling of the hardware, including simplified PCB layouts and casing designs to reduce assembly time and manufacturing complexity.
A privacy-preserving pixelation algorithm was developed, based on new object detection methods, alongside early-stage improvements to user feedback functionality.
AI-based segmentation models were deployed for key building elements, and prototypes for automatic room type classification and system labelling were created using machine learning. These are showing promising early results.
New 2D/3D reconstruction algorithms were developed using sensor fusion and Kalman filtering, resulting in greater model accuracy. These have been integrated into the platform and tested in real-world scenarios, with a feedback mechanism established for continuous improvement.
A thermal scan dataset was assembled to support algorithm training, though larger-scale evaluation was postponed to account for ongoing hardware adjustments.
The LumoWorld platform is transitioning to full IFC-native data handling. The API has been restructured accordingly, with initial tests of interoperability and file format integration now underway.
Overall, technical progress is well aligned with the project goals, with multiple components ready for pilot testing and showing high potential for scientific and practical impact.
We improved structural measurement accuracy by integrating IMU sensors for real-time user feedback. This enables the system to flag inaccurate scans due to tilt or motion, achieving precision below 1 cm. Automated hardware calibration and improved communication protocols were introduced to reduce scan time and avoid timing delays. Explorations into alternative height sensors and lidar systems led to the adoption of a robust tilt-based measurement method.
Thermal accuracy was enhanced through improved infrared sensor protection, casing modifications to reduce internal heating, and refined synchronisation between thermal and visual data.
Design modifications were implemented to support future upscaling of the hardware, including simplified PCB layouts and casing designs to reduce assembly time and manufacturing complexity.
A privacy-preserving pixelation algorithm was developed, based on new object detection methods, alongside early-stage improvements to user feedback functionality.
AI-based segmentation models were deployed for key building elements, and prototypes for automatic room type classification and system labelling were created using machine learning. These are showing promising early results.
New 2D/3D reconstruction algorithms were developed using sensor fusion and Kalman filtering, resulting in greater model accuracy. These have been integrated into the platform and tested in real-world scenarios, with a feedback mechanism established for continuous improvement.
A thermal scan dataset was assembled to support algorithm training, though larger-scale evaluation was postponed to account for ongoing hardware adjustments.
The LumoWorld platform is transitioning to full IFC-native data handling. The API has been restructured accordingly, with initial tests of interoperability and file format integration now underway.
Overall, technical progress is well aligned with the project goals, with multiple components ready for pilot testing and showing high potential for scientific and practical impact.
The Lumoview project has significantly advanced automated building digitisation, thermal imaging integration, and AI-driven analytics, achieving new benchmarks in accuracy, speed, and user-friendliness. These innovations directly support the EU's climate goals by accelerating affordable and effective building renovations.
However, progress towards full market deployment and securing this financing promptly is essential for scaling production, conducting comprehensive demonstrations, and broader commercialisation. To ensure successful uptake, key priorities include completing the EIC investment process, expanding market demonstrations, and actively engaging with regulatory and standardisation bodies.
However, progress towards full market deployment and securing this financing promptly is essential for scaling production, conducting comprehensive demonstrations, and broader commercialisation. To ensure successful uptake, key priorities include completing the EIC investment process, expanding market demonstrations, and actively engaging with regulatory and standardisation bodies.