D-Tex to enhance AI's role at Saudi Arabia’s Six Flags Qiddiya City
AI sensor specialist D-Tex Visual
has begun installing its Bolt-iT monitoring system on Falcons Flight, the
record-breaking roller coaster at Six
Flags Qiddiya City, with the first phase now complete.
Bolt-iT is the company’s first condition-based
monitoring (CBM) solution featuring AI embedded directly within each sensor.
The system can be retrofitted onto existing fixings, joints, and infrastructure
without dismantling components, preserving the integrity of the original
assembly.
Monitoring a world-first coaster
Falcons Flight — billed as the world’s first of
its kind — stretches over 4km of track across challenging terrain. According to
Francis De Ceulaer, Vice President of Maintenance at Six Flags Qiddiya City,
the ride’s record-breaking height, cliff-top extension, high-speed turns, and
daily temperature fluctuations presented significant maintenance challenges,
including thermal expansion of the track.
“We needed continuous monitoring of the track
and its critical fixings, but conventional systems didn’t meet our
requirements,” he said. “The D-Tex Visual Bolt-iT solution can be retrofitted
without cabling or interfering with assemblies, making it ideal for our needs.”
The system detects nut and bolt rotation,
bending, shear forces, stretching, vibration changes, and triple-axis pitch and
roll. Twelve sensors across three locations have already been installed, with
an additional 38 scheduled for deployment in the coming weeks.
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Before installation, D-Tex Visual conducted
extensive functional testing using full-scale replicas of key track sections to
demonstrate anomaly detection and alert capabilities.
Efficient installation process
Master and slave units that collect sensor
data were first installed in the park’s offices and entrance area, complete
with roof-mounted antennas. Rope access teams were then trained to fit the
sensors during pre-opening hours on accessible track sections.
Full installation sessions were scheduled
between 2:30am and 3am after park closure. During a single six-hour shift,
teams completed installations at three selected sites — including a tight
low-level turn and two positions on the “camel back” element — covering travel,
climbing, and safety procedures.
Sensors are strategically positioned along
high-force areas such as turns and in hard-to-reach sections, enabling
continuous 24/7 structural monitoring.
AI at the edge
Six Flags Qiddiya City is now leveraging
advanced “AI at the edge” detection, adding a new layer of real-time data
beyond traditional inspection methods.
In conventional mechanical monitoring, relying
on a single vibration sensor can lead to incomplete or misleading assessments.
As vibration energy dissipates through structures, acceleration readings weaken
with distance, increasing the risk of missed or misinterpreted faults.
Bolt-iT addresses this limitation by combining
multiple sensing technologies, with onboard AI processing and cross-comparing
data streams. The patented system allows maintenance teams to instantly detect
structural shifts or changes in fixing positions. Testing has shown that just
four sensors can monitor 32 nuts and 32 bolts on a single flange connection.
Showcasing SME innovation
Lee Hollinsghead, Founder of D-Tex Visual,
described the collaboration as a significant milestone.
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“From the outset, Six Flags Qiddiya City gave
us the opportunity to demonstrate our technology, and now the very best in
detection systems is safeguarding this extraordinary coaster,” he said.
He added that the project has enabled D-Tex
Visual to integrate its data with third-party platforms and expand into sectors
such as mining and rail, urging the industry not to overlook innovation from
SMEs.
With
further sensor deployment underway, the partnership signals a new era of
AI-driven maintenance and safety in the global attractions industry.
Source: https://blooloop.com/
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