Repair innovation (3D printing LIDAR & Synthetic Data)

IAG Firemark is focused on combatting the rising cost of vehicle repair and sustainability concerns in the motor repair sector through a combination of AI, 3D printing and mechanical innovation.

The team looks at defining the cost to repair a vehicle in order to reduce claims leakage. The common practice to determine the surface area of a vehicle part for painting is to use a blanket with evenly spaced markings placed over the part and the markings counted. This is a slow and laborsome process. The team linked up with the IAG Firemark Labs capability to innovate this process using a combination of LiDar scanning, AI and synthetic data. The data science function were able to translate the LiDar scanned vehicle into an accurate surface area measurement of the part in question, greatly reducing cost and improving accuracy.

A second key area the research center is tasked with developing new repair methods that can reduce claims costs as well as improve sustainability by increasing the number of parts that can be repaired rather than replaced. A common replacement part is a headlight which comes at significant cost due to sensor innovation that is usually replaced due to a broken bracket, the team was able to utilise 3D printing to create a new bracket which allows for the headlight to be repaired at a much lower cost.

Finally alongside the Labs team we have created a VR experience to showcase the future of remote motor assessing allowing the repair to be estimated an triaged without an assessor needing to be on site. This VR experience creates the ability to interact with the vehicle and view a part from multiple angles that is not possible using flat images.