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Looking Ahead

The future is built on the challenges we overcome today. And at ENSCO, every forthcoming success is similarly built on the solutions we’re developing right now.
 

Today, there are several exciting technologies that ENSCO is developing with the goal of successfully introducing them to the market:

• Real Time Location System (RTLS) provides real time situational awareness of people and assets in response to the growing need in commercial and government markets for this capability. Unlike standard GPS systems, the RTLS can be used indoors and outdoors, and is able to track assets, equipment and personnel with greater accuracy, range of operation, and data communications than any other product currently available operating within FCC limitations.
• The leading technology in the trace chemical detection market is Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), which is used in national security applications to detect trace explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial compounds, and narcotics. Despite the popularity of IMS detectors, they are underutilized by first responders and other end users because they are frequently plagued by false alarms. ENSCO is developing a new approach to chemical detection called Synthetic Ion Mobility Spectrometry (SIMS), which uses theoretical chemistry to model the behavior of an IMS detector under various environmental and instrument operating conditions to predict whether a targeted chemical is present. SIMS has the potential to greatly improve the accuracy and reliability of IM S technology.
• Leveraging our experience and success in machine vision inspection technology for the railroad industry, ENSCO brought that capacity to the steel industry to help inspect steel beams for defects during the production process. Within the last year, we have worked closely with rail and steel beam manufacturing plants to customize a system that will integrate into existing production facilities. With this technology, steel manufacturing facilities will increase the quality of their product, while reducing manufacturing costs.
• Unexpected clear air turbulence—turbulence that occurs away from thunderstorm activity—is a growing concern for the airline industry, especially over oceans. Air traffic controllers cannot predict this turbulence, and airlines are pressed to balance the safety concerns presented by this disturbance with the desire for passengers to have a comfortable flight, free of fastened seat belts. Using advanced algorithms and weather prediction models, ENSCO hopes to predict with confidence the location of clear weather turbulence to address this pressing problem.

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