Panel Sessions

The PHM Society provides an opportunity to hear and interact with recognized industry leaders in relevant areas for our PHM work. These 90 minute panel sessions will consist of presentations and open discussion by 4-6 panelists directly engaging with the conference audience on the different topics listed below.

These sessions add an enriching dimension to the conference experience and a welcome networking alternative to traditional paper presentations, which dominate some conferences. We believe balancing the conference time in this fashion provides participants a much more engaging experience and increased opportunity to gain unique knowledge.

Panel Session Topics:

  • Automotive PHM Emerges
  • Manufacturing
  • PHM Applications Deployment
  • PHM for Human Health and Performance
  • Oil and Gas
  • New Instrumentation Technologies for PHM
  • Unmanned Systems
  • Fielded Systems
  • Standards
  • Academic / Education
  • Theoretical Aspects of Prognostics

Panel Committee Chairs:

David Siegel
Rhonda Walthall

Panel Session Schedule:

Panel Day/Time
Automotive PHM Emerges Tuesday, 9:00 – 10:30
Manufacturing Tuesday, 10:45 – 12:15
PHM Applications Deployment Tuesday, 1:30 – 3:00
PHM for Human Health and Performance Tuesday, 3:30 – 5:00
Oil and Gas Wednesday, 10:05 – 11:30
New Instrumentation Technologies for PHM Wednesday, 1:45 – 3:15
Unmanned Systems Wednesday, 3:30 – 5:00
Fielded Systems Thursday, 9:00 – 10:30
Standards Thursday, 10:45 – 12:15
Academic / Education Thursday, 1:30 – 3:00
Theoretical Aspects of Prognostics Thursday, 3:30 – 5:00


Confirmed Panel Speakers from:

  • Airbus
  • Analog Devices
  • ASME
  • Bosch
  • BMW
  • DAU
  • DMDII
  • Duke University
  • Dytran
  • Emerson–Fisher Valves
  • F-35 JSF
  • GE Digital
  • GE Transportation
  • General Motors
  • Georgia Tech
  • GPMS
  • Honeywell
  • ISA
  • Machine Metrics
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  • NASA
  • NAVAIR Propulsion and Power
  • NIST
  • North Eastern University
  • NSWC
  • Orbital ATK
  • Prognost
  • Rolls-Royce
  • SAE HM1
  • SAS
  • Schlumberger
  • Siemens
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Denver
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of South Carolina
  • UPS
  • Uptake
  • US Army CBM+
  • USAF Warner Robins
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Vilanova University

 

Panel Session Details

Automotive PHM Emerges (Slides)
Session Chair: Steve Holland (General Motors)
Description: PHM technology has begun to enjoy limited success in the automotive domain for retail customers, fleet customers and shipping providers. The business impact achieved, while significant, is projected to rapidly increase as the industry transitions from a private-ownership-centric model to variants of ride sharing with increasing degrees of autonomy. In the newer business models, PHM simply becomes essential. This panel will explore the barriers to accelerating the impact of PHM: (1) awareness of PHM technology and its benefits by business leadership and customers alike, (2) integration of PHM into the engineering design fabric of the key players, and (3) effective industry standards & consortia to bring down the costs of implementation. Suppliers have always played a critical role in the industry and will be equally critical to the success of PHM. PHM demands a strategic approach not only aligned with company goals and product requirements but also linked into its field service support.
List of Panelists:

  • Marc Brummer (BMW)
  • Tim Felke (Honeywell)
  • Azeem Sarwar (General Motors)
  • Troy Schilling (Bosch)

 

Manufacturing
Session Chair: Radu Pavel (TechSolve) (Slides)
Description: A new industrial revolution is being driven by the digitization of manufacturing, automation, and the Internet. Digitization and connectivity will unlock unprecedented opportunities for factory optimization and cost savings. Products and machines will be able to communicate with each other, learn from each other, and work directly with each other without human intervention. The prognostic and health management (PHM) systems will become vital elements of the future manufacturing environment. Advanced PHM systems will offer the potential to optimize maintenance tasks in real time, maximizing the useful life of the equipment while still avoiding disruption to operations. This panel will bring together a diverse group of speakers from industry, academia, and national institutes to discuss their ongoing PHM development efforts from the perspective of the fourth industrial revolution. Potential applications will be highlighted, such as industrial robot health monitoring, incorporating machine health with factory-level decision making systems, advanced models for prognostics and health management, and designing preventive strategies for manufacturing operations. The panelists will share their thoughts on the future direction of PHM for smart manufacturing and will seek to engage the audience in sharing their own perspectives.
List of Panelists:

 

PHM Applications Deployment (Slides)
Session Chair: Tomasz Pancewicz (GE Aviation)
Description: The purpose of this panel is to discuss the various issues related to the deployment, management and maintenance of successful PHM applications. We will consider how to better build systems and processes for bringing prototype PHM models into large-scale, flexible, tunable production environments. We hope to think through both patterns and anti-patterns for creating production-level PHM applications, especially at issues of scalability and design for better maintenance decision making. Questions we hope to address include:

  • How to create better environments for Remote Monitoring and Diagnostic (RM&D) operators, to help them make the best maintenance decisions?
  • What kinds of feedback-loops should be built into our applications?
  • In which situations should we keep humans-in-the-loop in the alerting and recommendations issuing at RM&D centers, vs. when to circumvent human-level decisions?
  • Should the professional software engineers be rewriting prototype models created by analytics engineers / data scientists, vs. should the code created by data scientists be allowed on production servers?
  • How to implement, monitor and manage fleets of models at the production-level, so that they’re easy to update, fix and replace in the future?
  • How to shorten the time required from the moment the prototype-level code is ready, until the production-level code is ready, tested and deployed?
List of Panelists:

  • Xinyu Du (General Motors)
  • Kathryn Elliot (Rolls Royce)
  • Jayant Sen Gupta (Airbus)
  • Sven Poerschmann (LHT)
  • Glenn Shaffer (GE Transportation)
  • Adam Mcelhinney (Uptake)

 

PHM for Human Health and Performance
Session Chair: Wolfgang Fink (University of Arizona) (Slides)
Description: Predictive Health Management (PHM), originally applied in the Aerospace Industry, tries to predict when what part would fail for what reason(s) in order to make (preventive) maintenance more efficient and cost-effective. Over the past several years, PHM has been increasingly infused into the human healthcare, precision medicine, and human performance sectors. This panel discusses contributions in the fields of wearable smart sensors, sensor-data-fusion, machine learning and data mining, prediction and diagnosis, and electronic health records and databases – all in the context of prognostics and health management for human health and performance on Earth and in Space. Moreover, this panel builds on the discussions of the experience and processes encountered/created by the panelists, and highlights specific challenges, needs, and wants with respect to the development and implementation of standards and guidelines pertaining to PHM in the area of human health and performance. This diverse group of panelists will present their perspectives on PHM as it pertains to human assets. Conversations will include PHM’s current and future envisioned applications within general healthcare, high stress work environments, sports/athletes, theatre, and space environments, along with how the needs, data stream, and supporting PHM tools, can be better designed, developed, implemented, integrated, verified, and validated to impact the new paradigm of smart healthcare.
List of Panelists:

  • Dan Buckland (Duke University) (Slides)
  • Derek De Vries (Orbital ATK) (Slides)
  • Mark Derriso (US Airforce)
  • Michelle Johnson (University of Pennsylvania) (Slides)

 

Oil and Gas
Session Chair: Joseph Thorp (Aramco)
Description: Major Oil & Gas companies have accelerated the deployment of PHM technologies to improve operational availability, safety and environmental performance. The panel explores advanced predictive systems, prognostic model classifications, application guidelines and remaining useful life of critical equipment to provide better targeting of technology solutions. The mapping of success and failure across the industry has allowed leading experts to develop models to quantify cost and benefit by equipment class, process and business segment. Case studies are provided that highlight best in class strategies of the most successful companies.
List of Panelists:

  • Stephanie Germaine (GHG Sat)
  • Sastry Malladi (Foghorn Systems)
  • Skip Morrison (Prognost)
  • Steve Silwa (Seeq Corporation)
  • Mike Strobel (Aspentech)

 

New Instrumentation Technologies for PHM
Session Chair: Ed Spence (Machine Instrumentation) (Slides)
Description: The digital revolution coming to industrial applications under the heading IoT is enabled by emerging technology trends. Wireless sensor networks with connectivity to cloud based dashboards are proliferating in the industrial applications, offering continuous on-line CBM services. Some of these systems are developed by new entrants with IoT or AI rather than traditional CBM/PdM backgrounds, offering data driven approaches promising monitoring automation or improved accuracy diagnostics. Industrial OEMS are also implementing their own CBM programs, embedding customized sensor solutions in the hardware and shipping pre-instrumented equipment, in some cases retrofitting their installed base. Another enabling technology is the emergence of MEMS accelerometers capable of providing quality vibration-based measurement, at performance levels suitable for these applications and opening up new opportunities for integration of compact, embedded sensing solutions.

The goal is to assemble a panel discussion for PHM2018 to discuss the impact and convergence of these relatively new technologies to industries of interest to the PHM Society. Comparisons with incumbent technologies and trends can be discussed, the impact on various industries can be assessed, and the potential contributions to IIoT, new business models, new product categories and market expansion can be explored.

List of Panelists:

  • Anthony Bastiaansen (BossPac)
  • Eric Bechhoefer (GPMS) (Slides)
  • Joe Bergeron (Analog Devices) (Slides)
  • Dave Change (Dytran) (Slides)
  • Shannon Jelken (Emerson–Fisher Valves) (Slides)

 

Unmanned Systems
Session Chairs: Karl Reichard (Pennsylvania State University) and George Vachtsevanos (Georgia Tech) (Slides)
Description: The panel will address PHM and other technologies in the design and operation of unmanned autonomous systems (aerial, ground, sea surface and undersea vehicles). Autonomous systems are attracting the attention of researchers and users in a variety of application domains from Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance to rescue operations, border patrol, driverless vehicles, driverless air taxis, undersea exploration, among others. It is documented that autonomous systems (UAVs, for example) are failing at alarming rates. PHM and related technologies aim to introduce new tools/methods for their resilient design and safe operation. The panel is inviting the participation of scientists/engineers, students and academics, company personnel, government personnel involved in autonomy and autonomous systems, and conference participants interested to learn about the emerging autonomous systems technologies. Panel members and panel participants will discuss current and future technologies for improved system performance. Actual case studies and examples will be used to illustrate the technological innovations.
List of Panelists:

  • Jim Cycon (Lockheed Martin RMS / Sikorsky) (Slides)
  • Matthew Daigle (NASA)
  • Frank Ferrese (NSWC) (Slides)
  • Kai Goebel (NASA Ames) (Slides)
  • Mathieu Kemp (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) (Slides)
  • Alberto Lacaze (Robotics Research) (Slides)

 

Fielded Systems
Session Chairs: Andy Hess (The Hess PHM Group) and Ash Thakker (Global Technology Connections, Inc.)
Description: Several long-term career practitioners in the fields of PHM and CBM+ will share their experiences, observations, and lessons learned as part of this distinguished panel of experts. Much can be learned from the requirements generation, development, Verification and Validation, implementation, maturation, fielded use, fleet support, and enterprise-wide use of real world PHM systems. Just the development of the individual capabilities that make up a comprehensive and fully integrated PHM system; provides many lessons learned – both good and bad. A recently evolving important focused area will also be explored around the question: “just who really owns the data that these systems produce”. These issues need to be discussed, documented, and viewed across the many industry sectors that are fielding PHM systems. Short presentations will be given by all panel participants that describe their particular topic area and experiences within the PHM/CBM+ domains. An open panel discussion will follow to explore some of these identified specific issues and concerns.
List of Panelists:

  • Jeff Banks (ARL Penn State)
  • James Buffington (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)
  • Derek DeVries (Northrop Grumman)
  • Amy Grace (UTC)
  • Frank Zahiri (USAF Warner Robins)

 

Standards: How can we track the evolving standards world?
Session Chairs: Ravi Rajamani and Jeff Bird (PHM Society Standards Committee) (Slides)
Background: One of the PHM Society’s objectives is the advancement of PHM as an engineering discipline which includes standards and education. Panels on standards in development and what is needed have been conducted and documented in past annual conferences and a Society forum exists for exchanges: https://www.phmsociety.org/forums/forum/phm-business/standards/. SAE International as a Technical Partner has greatly contributed to these activities. The PHM Society is also a member of the US Technical Advisory Group of the ISO TC108 that covers diagnostics and prognostics. In 2010 there was a panel of a number of standards organizations.

Objectives: Update the community on the diverse PHM standards development activities. Identify gaps and development needs, particularly in the era of the Internet of Things and Digital Threads, e.g. accessing, staying current and contributing to the development of PHM standards. Introduce a PHM Standards Portal and a means to engage in ISO activities. Prioritize actions for the PHM Society through its Standards Committee.

Format: 90 minute session: Introduction and PHM Standards Portal, 3 x 15 minute presentations with gaps/issues conclusions referenced to full documents pre-loaded on the PHM forum site, 20 minute open discussion and 10 minute prioritization and way forward discussion.

List of Panelists:

 

Education and Professional Development: How can we leverage existing training?
Session Chairs: Jeff Bird, Karl Reichard and Nancy Madge (PHM Society Education and Professional Development Committee) (Slides)
Background: Education and professional development are core enablers of the PHM Society to support its principles to: Provide free and unrestricted access to PHM knowledge; Promote interdisciplinary and international collaboration in PHM and Lead the advancement of PHM as an engineering discipline. Previous activities (http://www.phmsociety.org/forums/forum/general/phm-education/) including panels have examined: A compilation of recommended types of PHM professional development in skills and mastery levels defined by the PHM Society Capability Taxonomy (Bird, Madge & Reichard, 2014 http://www.phmsociety.org/references/ijphm-archives), guidelines on quantitative goals for professional development over practical time periods and guidelines for preparing, evaluating and reporting plans and achievements. Last year’s panel identified many sources for existing courses including the Defense Acquisitions University.

Objectives: Examine the kinds of courses available to the PHM community. Identify gaps and opportunities to access content to advance personal and organizational development aims. Prioritize actions for the PHM Society Education and |Professional Development Committee.

Format: 90 minute session: Introduction covering existing PHM Society courses and E&PD activities, 3 x 15 minute presentations with gaps/issues conclusions referenced to full documents pre-loaded on the PHM forum site, 20 minute open discussion and 10 minute prioritization and way forward discussion.

List of Panelists:

  • Jamie Coble (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) (Slides)
  • Kathryn Elliot (Rolls Royce) (Slides)
  • Nat Nataraj (Vilanova University) (Slides)

 

Theoretical Aspects of Prognostics
Session Chair: Chetan Kulkarni (SGT Inc., NASA Ames Research Center) (Slides)
Description: This session is focused on the development of Theoretical Aspects in Prognostics. In majority of the Prognostic and Health Management applications particle filtering-based algorithms are being implemented as the state-of-the-art. However, PF-based prognosis frameworks have demonstrated their drawbacks when trying to estimate the probability of failure in nonlinear, non-Gaussian systems performing uncertain operating profiles. To overcome this issue, it is first necessary to establish adequate performance metrics for the framework which has been discussed and presented in recent years. It has been observed that not much work has been done on standardizing prognostics definitions as they suffer from ambiguous and inconsistent interpretations.

The session plans to bring together academics and industry experts in the area to discuss about the lack of standards due to varied end-user requirements as well as varying application domains, including aerospace, automotive, nuclear power, electrical etc.

List of Panelists:

  • Gautam Biswas (Vanderbilt University) (Slides)
  • Matteo Corbetta (NASA) (Slides)
  • Marcos Orchard (University of Chile) (Slides)
  • Bing Zhang (University of South Carolina)