MRO Living Lab
A business jet that is no longer airworthy offers a realistic environment for research into MRO technologies and processes.
The Institute of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul will receive a small business jet for research into MRO technologies and processes in 2026. The Cessna Citation CJ aircraft (built in 1998) will form the centrepiece of the new MRO Living Lab. It will support both scientific staff and students in their research and teaching work.
Planned research projects include:
- Analyses of maintenance tasks such as inspections and repairs on hardware that is as true to the original as possible and in compliance with applicable regulations
- Digitalisation of MRO processes
- Investigating the tension between digitalisation / AI technology and MRO personnel
- Applied research of maintenance procedures for new aircraft technologies
The MRO Living Lab is designed as a hangar-of-the-future environment around a functional aircraft to explore and validate a broad range of innovative technologies, processes, and concepts for aircraft maintenance and modifications. Serving as a full-scale demonstrator, the aircraft enables the testing and validation of solutions under real-world conditions. Examples include advanced robotics and automation, data-driven inspection and repair technologies, digital MRO processes, aircraft modification concepts, and innovative approaches to human-technology interaction. This practical approach accelerates the transfer of research results into industrial applications and supports the future transformation of aircraft maintenance operations.
The MRO Living Lab is one of five laboratories of the Application Center MRO – a unique facility for practical research into MRO technologies and processes. More information on the MRO Living Lab to follow soon.