By Francis Felix Falgui – PTV New Media
In an effort to improve earthquake preparedness in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), and Mapua University, collaborated to create the Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording (USHER) System.
The USHER System, which was invented by Mapua dean, Dr. Francis Aldrine A. Uy, is a structural health monitoring device for buildings and bridges which consists of an accelerometer and a web portal in order to monitor the host structure anywhere, anytime. The device records the vibrations a building experience before and after the earthquake and investigate it through analytics-like stethoscope to determine if a structure is safe to inhabit. Conceived in 2015, the system is a byproduct of Mapua University’s partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the “smart bridge” project. In this campaign, USHER proposed the Philippine Structural Integrity Monitoring System (PHILSIMS), which plans to install USHER units in 12 buildings and 10 bridges as part of the first phase of the project.
Aside from DOST, PCIEERD and DPWH, USHER System has already fostered partnership with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). Soon, Dr. Uy plans to team up with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as with local government units, noting that it would be beneficial for these agencies to have a system in place that will help ensure that buildings are structurally safe for the unforeseen onslaught of disasters.
A proudly Filipino invention, the USHER System has garnered various awards and recognitions both here and abroad. In 2018, it won an award for Special Concern Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change at DOST’s Outstanding Research and Development Awards. It also bagged the award as the “Best Digital Solutions under Smart Settlement and Urbanization” at the World Summit Awards (WSA) Global Congress in Cascais, Portugal on March 2019.
Currently, the USHER system has rolled out the “USHER Now Pay Later” program, wherein clients can install and use the device for free until October 2019. After the said free trial period, clients are given the option to pay and continue using the product or return the device without obligations.
