How Lilz is Revolutionizing Industrial Monitoring with Smart Cameras
Introduction
Industrial operations often require regular monitoring and verification of various indicators and readings. In the past, this involved sending human engineers or field crews to physically check these meters. However, Lilz, a Japanese startup, has developed battery-powered smart cameras that can remotely read and monitor these meters, reducing the need for manual inspections. With a recent funding of $4.1 million, Lilz is poised to enter the North American market and revolutionize the way industrial monitoring is conducted.
The Need for Remote Monitoring
In today’s modern age, one might wonder why smart gauges and meters are not already in place in industrial facilities. The truth is that many existing infrastructure and heavy industry setups do not have the option of implementing such advanced technology due to high costs of modernization. However, there is still a need to regularly monitor these meters for safety and efficiency purposes. This is where Lilz’s innovative devices come into play.
Lilz’s Battery-Powered Smart Cameras
Lilz devices are essentially battery-powered smart cameras that can last for years between charges. These cameras utilize computer vision technology to analyze images of gauges and dials continuously. This constant monitoring allows for real-time data collection and eliminates the need for manual inspections. The devices are designed to be robust yet low power, ensuring long-lasting performance and minimal maintenance.
Expansion into the North American Market
With over 3,500 active cameras in 500 locations, Lilz has already established a strong presence in Japan. Now, the company is ready to expand into the North American market. The recent funding of $4.1 million will enable Lilz to double its camera deployments and rapidly expand its operations. The company has received FCC and ISED certification for its devices, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. This opens up opportunities for industries in the US and Canada to benefit from Lilz’s remote monitoring solution.
Advantages of Lilz’s Devices
Lilz’s devices offer several advantages over traditional manual inspections. These include:
1. Safety: By eliminating the need for human inspections in hazardous environments, Lilz’s devices reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.
2. Efficiency: Continuous monitoring allows for early detection of issues or anomalies, enabling proactive maintenance and reducing downtime.
3. Cost-effectiveness: Automating meter readings and inspections saves time and resources that would otherwise be spent on manual labor.
4. Accessibility: Lilz’s devices can access hard-to-reach locations, making it easier to monitor meters in remote or dangerous areas.
Lilz’s Intrinsically Safe Cameras
One of the challenges in implementing smart cameras in industrial environments is ensuring safety. In settings where flammable gases are present, there is a risk of sparks from electrical devices causing accidents. Lilz has tackled this challenge by designing intrinsically safe cameras. These cameras do not pose a risk of creating safety problems, even in potentially hazardous conditions. Despite their safety features, the intrinsically safe cameras remain lightweight, weighing only 550 grams.
Expansion of Lilz’s Product Line
In addition to their existing smart cameras, Lilz has plans to release a thermal camera with similar capabilities to RGB. Thermal monitoring is crucial in unmanned power plants, where detecting temperature changes is essential for identifying potential issues. By automating this process, Lilz’s thermal camera can improve the safety and efficiency of power plants. The expansion of Lilz’s product line reflects the company’s commitment to providing comprehensive solutions for remote monitoring.
Beyond Meter Reading: Additional Applications
While Lilz initially focused on analog gauge readings, their devices have garnered interest beyond this specific use case. Customers have found value in capturing other aspects of their processes that were previously untraceable. Lilz’s devices have the ability to detect abnormal temperature changes and leakage, both within equipment and the surrounding environment. This broadened scope of application opens up new opportunities for Lilz in various industries.
Future Developments and Potential
Lilz’s devices have already proven their value in industrial monitoring, but the company is continuously working to improve their technology. Their computer vision algorithms and methods for accessing data are regularly enhanced to provide even better insights. For instance, Lilz’s devices could learn to detect outliers with sparse data, enabling advanced anomaly detection. While this project is still in the exploration phase, it highlights Lilz’s commitment to innovation and improvement in their solutions.
Conclusion
Lilz is at the forefront of revolutionizing industrial monitoring with their battery-powered smart cameras. Their devices offer a safe, efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional manual inspections. With their expansion into the North American market, Lilz is poised to transform the way large-scale industrial operations are monitored. By automating meter readings and inspections, industries can enhance safety, increase efficiency, and save valuable time and resources. With further development and advancements in their technology, Lilz is set to make an even bigger impact in the field of industrial monitoring.
Summary:
Lilz, a Japanese startup, has developed battery-powered smart cameras that can remotely read and monitor meters in industrial operations. With a recent funding of $4.1 million, Lilz is entering the North American market. Their devices offer several advantages, including improved safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Lilz’s expansion includes the development of intrinsically safe cameras and the release of a thermal camera. The company’s computer vision technology allows for broader applications and the potential for advanced anomaly detection. Lilz’s innovative solution is set to revolutionize industrial monitoring and drive improvements in safety and efficiency across various industries.
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When you run large, real-life industrial operations, there is always an indicator or reading somewhere deep in the facility that your engineers or field crews need to verify in person. Lilz is a Japanese startup that builds devices you can set to read these meters remotely, and the company just raised $4.1 million as they enter the North American market.
Lilz devices are basically battery-powered smart cameras that can last for years between chargeswhile monitoring something like a pressure gauge 24/7.
It might sound a bit strange in this modern age, why not have a smart vapor gauge in the first place? The simple truth is that much of the infrastructure and heavy industry doesn’t have that option, or modernization can be prohibitively expensive. However, for safety or efficiency reasons, it is necessary to regularly check some simple readings.
Sending a human down is the simplest solution, or was until Lilz made her devices available a couple of years ago. Its robust yet low power machine vision stack analyzes images of the gauge and transmits that information digitally.
Now, the Okinawa-based company has some 3,500 active cameras in 500 locations and has raised 590 million yen (approximately $4.1 million today) to jump-start the next phase of its business. Its investors include: JIC Venture Growth Investments, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Tokyo Century, Dimension Fund, Okinawa Development Finance Corporation, Okinawa’s Science and Technology Development Center, and Dogan Beta. That’s a B round, roughly double his $2.2 million A round in 2021.
The company has received FCC and ISED certification for its devices and is preparing for launch in the US and Canada. They plan to double their camera deployments and then expand rapidly.
A Lilz device in a real world situation and an example of her readings. (They are not the same calibers, to be clear.)
As for the hardware, Lilz has also been working towards certification as “intrinsically safe”, which means that the cameras do not pose a risk of creating safety problems, for example a short circuit and a spark that could ignite flammable gases. This often means large enclosures for devices, but Lilz designed it from the ground up, and his intrinsically safe cameras will only weigh 550 grams.
They also plan to release a thermal camera with similar qualities to RGB; Thermal monitoring is important in unmanned power plants, where a person would simply have to visit with a handheld thermal camera to verify. Naturally, it is desirable to automate this process. Like other widely distributed businesses such as gas storage and delivery, eliminating the need for these controls is not only safer, but also saves money, time and fuel.
Although it would be a stretch to call Lilz an AI company, it’s certainly close enough to claim kinship as the AI market continues to expand. Though it regularly improves its computer vision algorithms and methods for accessing data, Kuba Kolodziejczyk, the company’s CTO, said they’ve seen interest beyond meter reading, as the devices are often in locations key on premises.
“While we focus on analog gauges, with our cameras, customers are also able to capture other aspects of their processes that were previously untraceable and ask us for capabilities to detect events of interest,” he told TechCrunch. “Some examples we see now are abnormal temperature changes (which relate to our thermal vision camera offering) and leakage, both to the equipment and the surrounding environment.”
Lilz’s devices could learn to detect outliers with very sparse data, he said, but cautioned that “this project is still in the exploration phase.”
Lilz brings its gauge-watching smart cameras to the US and raises $4M
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