Hydraulic systems that power everything from excavators to aircraft wings waste huge amounts of energy and account for 3–4% of global CO₂ emissions. A consortium of Domin, the University of Bath, and The Data Analysis Bureau aims to fix that by building a digital ecosystem around a new type of ultra-compact servo valve. The problem is that most hydraulic equipment still uses decades-old technology, running inefficiently and requiring costly maintenance. The team will embed sensors and IoT connectivity into Domin’s direct-drive servo valve platform, then use AI to predict failures and optimise performance in real time. This turns a purely mechanical component into a smart, data-generating device. If adopted at scale, the technology could cut global CO₂ emissions by more than 60% by 2030. The project also promises significant cost savings on maintenance and capital investment, and could create hundreds of skilled UK jobs within five years. For industries that rely on heavy machinery—construction, manufacturing, aviation—this means quieter, cleaner, cheaper operation without waiting for a complete system redesign.
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Project **ASCEND** is a collaboration between Domin, University of Bath (UOB) and The Data Analysis Bureau (T-DAB) to revolutionise the flow control technology / hydraulics industry, which suffers for operational inefficiencies owing to use of outdated technology and as well as being a major contributor (3-4%) to global CO2 emissions. The consortium brings together strong expertise across advanced sensing development (UOB), design and development of complex hydraulics (Domin, UOB), IoT infrastructure (Domin) and AI based predictive maintenance (T-DAB) to drive disruptive digital innovation within the industry. They will build on Domin's ultra-compact and highly performant direct-drive servo valve (DDSV) platform, and build an ecosystem of digital services (real-time telemetry, and AI based insights) around it. The project outcomes will not only lead to significant cost reduction around maintenance, repairs and capital investment, but also pave the way for further product innovation, and potentially, new business models. In terms of environmental benefits, the developed technologies, if adopted at scale, have the potential to reduce global CO2 emissions by >60% by 2030. The consortium partners will also create a number of highly skilled jobs in the UK market for this project, with the scope to create 100s of further news jobs within the following 5 years. Further, with digital innovation and adoption at a scale, we also hope to help the UK ASCEND to world leading status in flow control technology.
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