AI monitors leaks and water use through sound
CategoriesSustainable News

AI monitors leaks and water use through sound

Spotted: The average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water at home each day. And while water is essential for a whole host of daily activities, a lot of it is wasted, whether through user behaviour or leaks.

In fact, startup Conservation Labs has calculated that, in the US, the cost of unwanted water use amounts to $62.64 billion per year. To tackle this issue, the company is deploying machine learning and sound-monitoring sensors.

When water flows through a plumbing system, whether to a toilet, a sink, or a bathtub, it creates a distinct sound. And machine learning algorithms can be trained to identify different sound patterns and what they mean for the system.

Conservation Labs’ technology, called H2Know, uses a WiFi-connected sensor, which is attached to a house’s inbound pipe. This sensor can be clipped onto the pipe easily and links to a user-friendly app that provides continuous water use monitoring.

Users can compare their usage to weekly averages, and the system provides email and text notifications for leaks. The technology can also integrate with a third-party water shut-off device, which kicks in if a catastrophic leak is detected.

Other water-saving innovations spotted by Springwise include greywater-recycling showers, a system that recycles household water, and a fibre optics system that detects leaks.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

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A sensor monitors the strength and efficiency of wind turbine blades
CategoriesSustainable News

A sensor monitors the strength and efficiency of wind turbine blades

Spotted: Considered a cost-efficient source of renewable energy, wind farms are under near-constant pressure to produce more power as quickly as possible. To help meet the demand, designers and manufacturers are working to create ever longer blades. While the longer blades produce more power, they also require additional maintenance. Current monitoring systems are not built to track the full length of the world’s largest blades, and updated materials technologies are also adding complexity to such oversight, with designs that bend more and in multiple directions.

One company seeking to provide a smart solution to the growth of the industry is Porto and Rotterdam-based Fibersail. Fibersail is piloting its shape-sensing wind turbine blade monitoring system in five European locations. The shape sensor tracks the full shape and curvature of each blade, identifying the most efficient positions for each turbine.

The continuous monitoring also provides owners and maintenance managers with the means to detect when a part is working below capacity – much earlier than is currently possible. Rotor and blade loads are adjustable—depending on weather conditions and local needs—and the system helps calculate the volume of production that maximises the lifetime capacity of each turbine.

A recent funding round is helping the startup to expand its team, and the company is seeking industry partners for further pilot sites.

Other recent wind power innovations that Springwise has spotted include home turbine systems and a forecasting system for renewable energy that helps producers match supply and demand. 

Written by: Keely Khoury

Email: info@fibersail.com

Website: fibersail.com

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