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ISAAC-AMD: an active self-tuned device for seismic protection and continuous monitoring of civil structures

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ISAAC (ISAAC-AMD: an active self-tuned device for seismic protection and continuous monitoring of civil structures)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-09-01 bis 2020-02-29

Earthquakes are a serious threat for many European countries, particularly those around the Mediterranean Sea. In many cities exposed to high earthquake hazard, a substantial proportion of the population still lives in buildings that do not meet modern earthquake-resistant standards. However, the development of scientific knowledge now permits significant reduction of the risk to which people and goods are exposed in the most seismic prone regions of Europe.

The ISAAC solution is a smart device for the seismic protection of already existent residential buildings. Placed on the top floor of the building, it is made by an inertial actuator and motion sensors placed on the structure to be protected from the seismic event. The patent pending ISAAC technology allows the system to autonomously identify the structure, avoiding the need of engineering for the different structures. The same capability has been employed to create a building and bridges diagnosis and monitoring system. ISAAC s.r.l. is developing three different kind of products/services, which are able to effectively address the issue related to the assessment and monitoring of structures and infrastructures, and the seismic retrofit of existing buildings.

ISAAC will be the first active anti-seismic device proposed in the European market. The ISAAC device comes out to be the best solution in terms of versatility, non-invasiveness, installation time and very competitive in terms of costs. The ISAAC device is one-size-fits-all, so the product is standard in weight and dimension and, according to the building dimensions and to the seismic improvement required, more or less devices are installed. Moreover, it offers a structure monitoring service and a post-earthquake analysis directly integrated in the product, that has never been presented in the market before.
During the Phase 1 project, after piloting the diagnosis and monitoring of structures and infrastructures systems, speaking and interviewing the potential partners and customers, the feedback to and reception of the ISAAC solution has been sincerely positive throughout all cases.

Following the feasibility study, ISAAC has (1) validated and refined business model, (2) provided input for the further technical development of the solution towards TRL8, (3) completed the market study and the competitor analysis to identify prospective customer segments in Europe as well as to validate the market demand, (4) scanned the relevant landscape for attractive gaps, including “freedom to operate” analysis and potential to file additional patent to protect the innovative assets, and (5) planned our dissemination and communication goals.

Furthermore, the participation to conferences, contests and events supported ISAAC’s business development efforts and demonstrated that the interest in seismic protection technology is global. This presence will continuously be expanded, by visiting international trade fairs, start-up events and conferences.

Having confirmed the technical acceptance and market potential of ISAAC with the feasibility study carried out under the Phase I project, ISAAC plans to apply for EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument) Phase 2 funding to support reaching TRL 8 and in a later-stage scale-up efforts.
ISAAC has developed a solution that allows for a versatile, scalable, non-invasive product that requires no engineering and reduced installation time. Furthermore, the ISAAC device is the first on the market capable of also monitoring the building. Similar mechanisms have been applied over the years for huge skyscrapers in Asia. However, these devices have some drawbacks: heavy weights, high costs and burdensome processes of design, engineering, construction and final installation, as well as the absence of the auto-adaptive behaviour.

Due to the disruptive technology approach, ISAAC has been able to use such a performant mechanism on common structures ranging from one to ten-story buildings. Indeed, thanks to the improvements in the automation industry, the team succeeded in decreasing the weight and costs of such a device. The capabilities of this technology allow also to develop system for diagnosis and monitoring of structures and infrastructures, together with sensors spread on the structure.

The ISAAC device overcomes the current limitations of the state-of-the-art technology by offering the following advantages:
• Innovative and disruptive - based on a state-of-the-art technology giving it high performances
• Flexible and scalable - no need of customization and ad hoc design or studies;
• Non-invasive - require the only external installation on the top floor;
• Quick in installation - autonomous identification of the building thanks to complex algorithms;
• Safe and multipurpose - autonomous continuous monitoring of the structure.
• One-size-fits-all device - no customization needed; depending on the building size and seismic improvements required, more or less devices are installed
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