Past Projects

The Ario product is a smart device application supported by web-based data management to provide the customer with an augmented reality visualization of their workplace. This allows for visual training, operations, maintenance and troubleshooting activities to take place at workplace sites and on real workplace machines and equipment. It also leverages data from other tools already used and can facilitate assistance from subject matter experts no matter where they are located.

Project Overview: Ario deployed a mobile augmented reality SaaS application at an AEP Ohio workplace site to provide users with quick access to information, drawings, data and remote assistance in field applications. With AEP, Ario developed remote interactive video chat with subject matter experts and created user interface to easily add/update equipment and information. Ario is exploring artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities and how AEP might be able to support and test new functionality being developed for the Ario platform

Founder Quote: ”Working with AEP and EPRI through the IluminationLAB has been an extremely valuable experience. It has allowed us to gain critical feedback in order to improve our platform and we look forward to an on-going relationship.” - Nate Fender, Co-Founder and COO

eIQ Mobility is a company dedicated to simplifying and accelerating the electrification of fleets, enabling the transformation to zero-emission mobility through optimized planning, delivery and operation of electric mobility services at scale. eIQ Mobility is building a powerful data-driven awareness, decision and planning platform that harvests data from fleets, electric vehicle models, locations, facilities and utilities to solve fleet executive pain around continual planning for and electrification of their fleets. 

Project Overview: eIQ Mobility has tested their EValuate tool using AEP fleet data, developing an AEP-hosted platform for a test pilot of fleet customers. This has enabled the creation of an AEP Operating Company deployment plan for electric vehicles, assessing the load implications and viability of a customer fleet deployment plan. 

Founder Quote: ”For the Lab, our goal was to test the eIQ Mobility machine-learning EV fleet decision platform. To do that we collected data from 1,000 of their vehicles from 18 large operational hubs in five states. It’s been a very productive collaboration, with strong learnings for both parties. For eIQ Mobility, we learned about highly upfitted vehicles (typical for utilities), and improved our decision modeling with AEP’s feedback. We discovered 200+ vehicles that can be realistically electrified, with a lower total-cost-of-ownership which could save AEP millions of dollars over 10 years. We’re now discussing next steps which could include using our decision platform for AEP’s own customers, expanding the decision platform to all of AEP’s vehicles, and deploying actual EVs with the eIQ Mobility guaranteed EV price-per-mile contracts.” -Yann Kulp, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development

FreeWire delivers energy whenever and wherever it’s needed for reliable electrification beyond the electrical grid. With products such as the Mobi Gen, Mobi Charger and Boost, FreeWire leverages storage solutions to provide scalable, clean, power that moves to meet demand. FreeWire customers can tackle new applications and deploy new business models without the complexity of upgrading traditional energy infrastructure. 

Project Overview: FreeWire’s Boost solution leverages battery storage to provide Level 3 EV charging capability on Level 2 charging infrastructure. The solution promises to lower the infrastructure costs of providing Level 3 charging, deploy such charging in more remote locations and help customers lower the peak demand charges that are can be associated with fast charging stations. For this demonstration, FreeWire is working with EPRI, AEP and TVA to compare the technical and economic performance of the Boost unit versus traditional Level 3 DC fast charging solutions. The project will commence once the Boost unit has completed UL testing.

Founder Quote: ”We’re grateful for the opportunity to be connected with leading utilities who are looking to expand their service offering by testing and deploying EV charging. Providing charging infrastructure is complicated - high installation costs, limited energy capacity, equitable access - obstacles we’re removing to speed up deployment and enabling the utility of the future.” - Arcady Sosinov, CEO

Hyperion has developed a proprietary technology that can digitize large physical high-voltage assets from a single optical fiber. This optical fiber is placed deep within a large high voltage asset covering the critical elements of the asset. From it, the customer is able to get temperature and strain information for every meter along the entire length of the fiber within the asset. A passive insulating component is stimulated using light - completely unaffected by the high electromagnetic fields generated and surrounding these large high voltage components. Once data is generated, the AI engine can track even the smallest changes in temperature and strain, providing valuable insights on asset health and system characteristics.

Project Overview: Over the course of the Lab, Hyperion focused on a small transformer application, building and testing a prototype by winding its fiber optic sensor technology into the transformer coil. In order to validate the accuracy and durability of the technology, heat run testing on the prototype coil was carried out at a high voltage test facility (Kinectrics) in Toronto under the supervision of EPRI. The results of the fiber measurements were compared to a number of thermocouples placed around the coil.

Founder Quote: ”Being part of the IlluminationLAB has allowed Hyperion’s leading-edge sensing technology access to live customer environments. Thus providing us with real-time, real-world validation for the Industry. The Hyperion team would like to thank AEP and ERPI for allowing our participation to this unique and innovative platform.” - Anselm Viswasam, President and CEO

LiveEO has developed a solution that utilizes satellite imagery as a primary decision source for assessing and prioritizing vegetation management along the network, as well as an analysis and workflow tool that will enable greater efficiencies through predictive risk-based services versus traditional time-based services. 

Project Overview: The combination of high-resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence allows LiveEO to inspect thousands of miles of lines, detect where vegetation threats exist on a utility’s grid and optimize the dispatch of service crews. In this demonstration, LiveEO and EPRI focus on comparing the results of satellite data analysis of a distribution grid sub-segment against the data from other inspection techniques to understand the accuracy and efficacy of detecting line threats and dispatching and tracking work progress. 

Founder Quote: ”The LAB has been amazing for LiveEO. It helped us to get in contact with AEP, SRP, EPRI and a number of other great American utilities and gave the platform for exchange. With our product we want to serve customers all across the globe to maintain their assets more efficiently and effectively and within the IlluminationLAB we had the set up to kick start our American expansion and to prove our technology here. We are looking forward to future collaborations with EPRI, AEP and other utilities.”  -Sven Przywarra, Co-Founder

Sterblue is a drone software startup that has developed a cloud-based industrial platform to automate drone inspection for utility companies. It allows the user to upload the raw information about their infrastructures and generate 3D flight plans using geometrical parameters for guiding the drone along trajectories that wrap tightly around structures. The captured data is processed using artificial intelligence algorithms that automatically detect and characterize defects on industrial infrastructure. 

Project Overview: Sterblue conducted three separate projects during the course of the Lab. They completed automatic inspections of; 29 Wind Turbines, 50 Transmission Towers, and one Cooling Tower. In one day Sterblue broke a record by inspecting 11 wind turbines (including the biggest turbines). These drone flights ran in order to demonstrate artificial Intelligence potential, to detect defects on infrastructure, to increase inspection productivity and to improve safety. 

Founder Quote: ”The IlluminationLAB was awesome for Sterblue. After three years in Europe, we launched our US office in Los Angeles six months ago and this acceleration program was an amazing opportunity for us to build several strong credentials with the most innovative US utilities. Last but not least, AEP allowed us to roll-out a new application with our software and inspect a 300 ft. high cooling tower – huge excitement for our engineers!” - Geoffrey Vancassel, CEO