17 16 Nothing is possible without digitalisation: digital twins are essential to the establishment of a biologically inspired circular economy. In future, they will enable the entire life cycle of a bioreactor to be simulated and virtually mapped. The expected cell growth of a wide variety of microorganisms can then also be estimated to a high degree of accuracy even before a real system is physically built. Digital twins thus provide transparency at an early stage: they accelerate the professional design of highly efficient, automated bioreactors for future-proof and agile development. The real world can be strategically extended using methods of augmented reality. Employees, customers and partners of Festo or trade fair visitors can also virtually experience the innovations in connection with the PhotoBionicCell and its physical structure. If a tablet is pointed towards the real exhibit, for example, technical procedures, process parameters and informations are displayed as videos, text modules or graphics. Depending on their own personal interests, users can immerse themselves in new bio-worlds and learn inter- esting facts: What is photosynthesis, and how do the processes unfold inside the PhotoBionicCell? What technology is used for this, and which products from Festo are installed? What do the commissioning and remote maintenance of the photo-bioreactor involve? Digital twins for early transparency Augmenting reality at will Keeping an eye on the outside world Optimising with artificial intelligence An intuitive human-machine interface A holistic approach also means remaining aware of the surroundings of the PhotoBionicCell while concentrating on its inner workings. The experts from Festo use a special multisensor device to record various environmental parameters in order to draw conclusions about the growth of the algae. How much sunlight was there in a certain period of time, and from what direction did the radiation come? What were the exterior temperatures and humidity? Particularly relevant here is precise knowledge of the carbon dioxide concentration of the outside air. In this connection, an intricate method was developed to enrich the carbon dioxide before it reaches the bioreactor via the surface collectors: for optimal growth the microalgae need a carbon dioxide concentration of three to five percent by volume, whereas the natural concentration in the ambient air is lower by a factor of around 100. Maximum efficiency and optimum process stability in 24-hour operation, with monitoring of all relevant parameters of the PhotoBionicCell – this is the declared goal of Festo. The experts also use methods of artificial intelligence to evaluate the data volumes generated. This enables the bioreactor to be optimised with a view to either propagating the algae cultures or maintaining specified growth parameters with a minimum of energy input. Predictive operational monitoring is also used: the remaining service life of valves or other components can be forecast by means of artificial intelligence. To prevent an imminent production failure, the system optimises itself on the basis of this data – it throttles the speed of production, indicates necessary maintenance tasks or initiates further strategic measures. Since bioreactors are highly complex systems, their widespread use in the future also depends on practical considerations: Can they be easily commissioned and operated? Can they be controlled and maintained from any location? Can it be ensured that know-how is not lost following a change of personnel? The IT specialists provide an intuitive human-machine interface with intelligent software whose graphical user interface makes for simple orientation. All bioreactors from Festo are displayed with current data, including live recording. Users can also manually change parameters or visualise evaluations of the biomass growth around the clock via a mobile phone or tablet. When a sample of the culture is taken from a bioreactor on site, the sensor data recorded at that time are displayed. New features can be added to the software at any time; updates are carried out automatically. A large number of state-of-the-art technologies act together to optimise the overall system of the PhotoBionicCell bioreactor. The specialists from Festo rely on innovative sensor, control and regulation technology, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
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