During the second day of the PANNDT event, the Inspenet team spoke with Dr. Ajay Pasupileti, CEO and founder of Ooga Technologies, to learn how this company is making a difference in NDT inspection with AI. Founded five years ago, the company was born with the vision of renewing the non-destructive testing (NDT) industry with digital tools, artificial intelligence and remote collaboration.
In the words of its founder, the project began in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in a meeting between colleagues in the NDT area where, among ideas, they decided to found a company with a collaborative spirit and technological vision and thus Ooga Technologies was born.
The challenge of generational change in the NDT sector
One of the critical issues that prompted the creation of Ooga Technologies was the problem of the lack of generational replacement in the NDT industry. According to U.S. Census data, while in other professions the average age is 40 years old, in the NDT inspection industry the average is over 50 years old for Level III professionals.
This aging workforce represents a direct risk to the transfer of technical knowledge and the company seeks to bridge this gap with through a platform that connects the most experienced inspectors with the new generations of technicians through digital tools and real-time communication.
A platform for more reliable inspections
Ooga Technologies’ value proposition is to offer a comprehensive system that connects industrial companies with NDT level III inspectors through a digital infrastructure that provides remote support, supervision and analysis, allowing highly qualified experts to collaborate from anywhere in the country with technicians in the field, providing their knowledge without the need to travel.
Thanks to this structure, companies can access high-quality diagnostics more quickly and efficiently, ensuring the reliability of inspections and avoiding delays or costly interpretation errors.
NDT inspection with AI: A technological mainstay
One of the technological pillars of Ooga Technologies is the integration of AI into NDT processes. Instead of relying on a single vendor, the platform works agnostically with four different AI tools, providing a versatile and adaptable solution for different types of projects and needs.
The artificial intelligence allows automatic analysis of the inspected material and generates real-time alerts on the quality of the captured data, which means that if an image or signal does not meet the required standards, the acquisition can be repeated immediately, without the need to return to the site weeks or months later.
This model improves the reliability of inspections, reducing operating costs associated with rework and unnecessary travel, and in a context where the volume of data is constantly growing, having automatic tools for its evaluation becomes indispensable.
Case studies: proven oil and gas efficiency
The energy sector, especially oil and gas, has been one of the first to adopt Ooga’s services, where operators and asset owners have found in this platform an effective solution to review in real time the data sent from the field.
A case cited by Dr. Pasupileti is particularly illustrative in this regard, as an inspector located in Idaho collaborated remotely with a team performing welding in Nevada and while the technicians were in the field, the inspector had already delivered his analysis of the previous point. This workflow has accelerated processes and drastically reduced downtime.
The project is in Nevada, and with just a few click of buttons, they’re getting that immediate support. So the way it is helping is by the time they go to the next weld in a field application, they have the analysis done on the previous weld.
Dr. Ajay Pasupileti.
The ability to provide immediate responses has proven to be a key differentiator in industries where safety and accuracy cannot be compromised.
Global compliance
The company’s focus is not limited to technical support, but also emphasizes ensuring standardization and compliance with international regulatory codes, a critical point in the NDT industry, where standards can vary significantly between regions and sectors.
According to Dr. Pasupileti, any acceptance or rejection decision must be based on a specific code, and by being clear about which standards apply to each job, the system can ensure consistency and objectivity in the results. This philosophy allows the company to connect international experts without compromising the quality standards required in complex projects.
Towards the digital twin and NDT 4.0
With an eye on the future, Ooga is already working on its next big step, the implementation of the concept of digital twins, which are based on the transformation known as NDT 4.0 and seek to create detailed digital representations of industrial assets to facilitate their monitoring, predictive maintenance and historical analysis.
Furthermore, integrating real-time inspection data within a digital environment will enable companies to make faster and more accurate decisions, anticipate failures and reduce operational risks, which encompasses the company’s vision to support industries on their journey towards smarter, connected and sustainable asset management.
A company at the service of industrial evolution
The interview with Dr. Ajay Pasupileti made it clear that Ooga Technologies is not just a technology company, but a strategic ally for industries that require high-precision industrial inspections. With a focus on collaboration, digitization and NDT inspection with AI, the company is helping to modernize a traditional industry, while preserving and transferring the know-how of past generations.
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Source: Inspenet.