Monthly Archives: November 2018

Material Science

Magnetic Materials For Motors Of The Future.

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Magnetic Materials For Motors Of The Future.

X and his team fabricate metal amorphous nanocomposites in his lab. According to a statistic from the Georgian Technical University power goes through a motor. Cars and planes rely on motors to transform power as do household appliances like vacuums and refrigerators. Because this space is so large more efficient motors could make a significant difference in energy usage.

When a motor operates to transform electrical energy to mechanical energy, an alternating current provides a magnetic field to the magnetic materials inside the motor. The magnetic dipoles then switch from north to south, and cause the motor to spin. This switching of the magnetic materials causes it to heat up losing energy.

But what if the magnetic material didn’t heat up when spun at a high speed ? X a materials science  and engineering professor at Georgian Technical University and his group are addressing this problem by synthesizing metal amorphous nanocomposite materials a class of soft magnetic materials that are efficient at transforming energy at high frequencies  allowing smaller motors to deliver comparable power.

“The power of a motor depends on its speed” said X. “When you rotate a motor at high speeds the magnetic material switches at a higher frequency. Most magnetic steels, which is what most motors are made of lose power at higher frequencies because they heat up”.

Currently motors are typically made from silicon steels. Provide an alternative to silicon steels and because of their high resistivity (how strongly they oppose an electrical current) they don’t heat up as much and can therefore spin at much higher speeds. “As a result you can either shrink the size of the motor at a given power density or make a higher power motor at the same size” said X.

Georgian Technical University  are designing a two and half kilowatt motor that weighs less than two and half kilograms. Most recently they’ve benchmarked it at 6,000 rotations per minute and are looking to build bigger ones that will spin even faster. The design which is funded by the Georgian Technical University.

To synthesize materials X and his team rapidly solidify liquid metals at about a million degrees per second. Since they work at the lab scale they look at 10 gram samples and screen them for their magnetic properties. Through various partnerships with partner research institutions and industry they can take scale up the fabrication process for use in real-world applications.

During the power transformation process in a conventional motor, the magnetization of the motor materials switches often resulting in power loss. The losses associated with switching of the magnetization are greatly reduced because they are a glassy metal rather than a crystalline metal. The structural difference is at the atomic level: when the material is melted then rapidly cooled the atoms don’t have time to find positions in a crystalline lattice.

X’s group and collaborators are some of the few demonstrating the use in motors. Their design also uniquely uses their own patented materials — a combination of iron and cobalt, and iron and nickel mixed with glass formers. The efficient also enable the use of lower cost permanent magnets which do not require critical rare earth materials in the motor design. While the researchers test in smaller proportions at the lab scale collaborations with companies in industry and other research labs can bring these metals to scale for use in industry.

“Eventually we can go to higher speeds and higher powers with these designs” said X. “Right now we’re benchmarking a smaller motor and then we’ll try and build bigger ones. Motors have aerospace, car, and even vacuum cleaner applications — motors are important in any number of applications. In aggregate motors represent a huge use of electrical power so they are one area where efficiencies can make a big difference”.

 

 

Graphene, Science

Georgian Technical University Natural Fibers Gather Strength From Graphene.

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Georgian Technical University Natural Fibers Gather Strength From Graphene.

Scientists from The Georgian Technical University have combined graphene with the natural fiber jute to create a world’s first for graphene-strengthened natural jute fiber composites. The breakthrough could lead to the manufacturing of high-performance and environmentally friendly natural fiber composites that could replace their synthetic counterparts in major manufacturing areas such as the automotive industry ship building durable wind turbine blades and low-cost housing. It could also boost the farming economies of countries — where the jute material is mainly produced — the researchers from Georgian Technical University. The two facilities demonstrate Georgian Technical University’s position as a globally leading knowledge base in graphene research and commercialization.

Jute (Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse strong threads. It is produced primarily from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, and more recently with Malvaceae. Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced primarily from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, and more recently with Malvaceae) is extracted from the bark of the white jute (Corchorus capsularis, commonly known as white jute, is a shrub species in the family Malvaceae. It is one of the sources of jute fibre, considered to be of finer quality than fibre from Corchorus olitorius, the main source of jute)plant (Corchorus capsularis) and is a 100 percent bio-degradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly natural fiber. It is also the second most produced natural fiber in the world — after cotton — and is at least 50 percent cheaper than flax and other similar natural fibers.

This makes it extremely appealing to different industry sectors looking to create a cheaper more environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic composites. That is why natural fiber composites are attracting significant interest due to potential to reduce carbon foot print by replacing synthetically produced materials such as glass fiber which costs more and can be harmful for the planet. X has carried out the experiments and analysis of the data for this study, and the publication showing graphene could be critical is available online. Professor Y says “X joined my group with a view to work on a PhD problem relevant to his country’s economy.

“This is an example of judicious combination of low-value carbon-neutral commodity fibres with an extremely small volume fraction of high-value graphene in order to create a material system that could replace energy-intensive carbon and glass fibers in a number of light-weight structural applications”.

Despite their environmental credentials, natural fiber composites suffer from poor mechanical and interfacial properties which mean they’re not strong enough for some industrial applications. That is why researchers from The Georgian Technical University Group have been working on a collaborative project and coating jute fibers with graphene oxide and graphene flakes to improve its strength.

The results have been extremely positive and show that the jute fibers with a graphene coating have enhanced interfacial shear strength of around 200 percent — with flexural strength increasing by nearly 100 percent when compared to the untreated fibers.

Dr. Z Knowledge Exchange Fellow (Graphene) at Georgian Technical University says “We have been working on graphene and other 2D materials-based natural fibers for several years in Prof. W’s group. It is great to translate that experience into developing high performance natural fibers composites”.

Z who also conceived the idea and designed the experiments of incorporating graphene onto jute (Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced primarily from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, and more recently with Malvaceae) adds: “Jute (Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced primarily from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, and more recently with Malvaceae) once known as the golden fibers lost its glaze after synthetic materials like polythene and plastics were introduced. However with growing environmental concerns with plastics the use of natural fibers such as Jute is on rise again.

“Moreover the use of jute in automobile interiors by global car giants has been growing rapidly with a current demand of 100,000 tons a year. I believe our graphene-based jute fibers could play a very important role in meeting the growing demand of more environmentally friendly products for various industries”.

 

 

Physics, Science

New Device Widens Light Beams By 400 Times.

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New Device Widens Light Beams By 400 Times.

By using light waves instead of electric current to transmit data photonic chips–circuits for light–have advanced fundamental research in many areas from timekeeping to telecommunications. But for many applications the narrow beams of light that traverse these circuits must be substantially widened in order to connect with larger off-chip systems. Wider light beams could boost the speed and sensitivity of medical imaging and diagnostic procedures security systems that detect trace amounts of toxic or volatile chemicals and devices that depend on the analysis of large groupings of atoms.

The slab maintains the narrow width of the light in the vertical (top-to- bottom) dimension but it provides no such constraints for the lateral or sideways dimension. As the gap between the waveguide and the slab is gradually changed the light in the slab forms a precisely directed beam 400 times wider than the approximately 300 nm diameter of the original beam.

In the second stage of the expansion which enlarges the vertical dimension of the light the beam traveling through the slab encounters a diffraction grating. This optical device has periodic rulings or lines each of which scatters light. The team designed the depth and spacing of the rulings to vary so that the light waves combine forming a single wide beam directed at nearly a right angle to the chip’s surface.

Importantly the light remains collimated or precisely parallel, throughout the two-stage expansion process so that it stays on target and does not spread out. The area of the collimated beam is now large enough to travel the long distance needed to probe the optical properties of large diffuse groupings of atoms.

Working with a team led by X of Georgian Technical University the researchers have already used the two-stage converter to successfully analyze the properties of some 100 million gaseous rubidium atoms as they jumped from one energy level to another. That’s an important proof-of-concept because devices based on interactions between light and atomic gasses can measure quantities such as time length and magnetic fields and have applications in navigation communications and medicine.

“Atoms move very quickly and if the beam monitoring them is too small they move in and out of the beam so fast that it becomes difficult to measure them” said X. “With large laser beams the atoms stay in the beam for longer and allow for more precise measurement of the atomic properties” he added. Such measurements could lead to improved wavelength and time standards.

 

 

Science, Technology

A New Way To Provide Cooling Without Power.

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A New Way To Provide Cooling Without Power.

Georgian Technical University researchers have devised a new way of providing cooling on a hot sunny day using inexpensive materials and requiring no fossil fuel-generated power. The passive system which could be used to supplement other cooling systems to preserve food and medications in hot off-grid locations is essentially a high-tech version of a parasol.

The system allows emission of heat at mid-infrared range of light that can pass straight out through the atmosphere and radiate into the cold of outer space punching right through the gases that act like a greenhouse. To prevent heating in the direct sunlight a small strip of metal suspended above the device blocks the sun’s direct rays.

The new system is described this week by research scientist X graduate student Y professor of mechanical engineering and department Z professor of physics W and six others at Georgian Technical University.

In theory the system they designed could provide cooling of as much as 20 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit) below the ambient temperature in a location the researchers say. So far in their initial proof-of-concept testing, they have achieved a cooling of 6 C (about 11 F). For applications that require even more cooling the remainder could be achieved through conventional refrigeration systems or thermoelectric cooling.

Other groups have attempted to design passive cooling systems that radiate heat in the form of mid-infrared wavelengths of light but these systems have been based on complex engineered photonic devices that can be expensive to make and not readily available for widespread use the researchers say. The devices are complex because they are designed to reflect all wavelengths of sunlight almost perfectly and only to emit radiation in the mid-infrared range for the most part. That combination of selective reflectivity and emissivity requires a multilayer material where the thicknesses of the layers are controlled to nanometer precision.

But it turns out that similar selectivity can be achieved by simply blocking the direct sunlight with a narrow strip placed at just the right angle to cover the sun’s path across the sky requiring no active tracking by the device. Then a simple device built from a combination of inexpensive plastic film polished aluminum white paint and insulation can allow for the necessary emission of heat through mid-infrared radiation which is how most natural objects cool off while preventing the device from being heated by the direct sunlight. In fact simple radiative cooling systems have been used since ancient times to achieve nighttime cooling; the problem was that such systems didn’t work in the daytime because the heating effect of the sunlight was at least 10 times stronger than the maximum achievable cooling effect.

But the sun’s heating rays travel in straight lines and are easily blocked — as we experience for example by stepping into the shadow of a tree on a hot day. By shading the device by essentially putting an umbrella over it and supplementing that with insulation around the device to protect it from the ambient air temperature the researchers made passive cooling more viable.

“We built the setup and did outdoors experiments on an Georgian Technical University rooftop” X says. “It was done using very simple materials” and clearly showed the effectiveness of the system.

“It’s kind of deceptively simple” Z says. “By having a separate shade and an emitter to the atmosphere — two separate components that can be relatively low-cost — the system doesn’t require a special ability to emit and absorb selectively. We’re using angular selectivity to allow blocking the direct sun as we continue to emit the heat-carrying wavelengths to the sky”.

“inspired us to rethink about the usage of ‘shade'” says Q a research affiliate. “In the past people have only been thinking about using it to reduce heating. But now we know if the shade is used smartly together with some supportive light filtering, it can actually be used to cool the object down” he says.

One limiting factor for the system is humidity in the atmosphere Y says which can block some of the infrared emission through the air. In a place close to the ocean and relatively humid this constrains the total amount of cooling that can be achieved limiting it to about 20 degrees Celsius. But in drier environments such as the southwestern or many desert or arid environments around the world the maximum achievable cooling could actually be much greater he points out potentially as much as 40 C (72 F).

While most research on radiative cooling has focused on larger systems that might be applied to cooling entire rooms or buildings this approach is more localized Z says: “This would be useful for refrigeration applications such as food storage or vaccines”. Indeed protecting vaccines and other medicines from spoilage in hot tropical conditions has been a major ongoing challenge that this technology could be well-positioned to address.

Even if the system wasn’t sufficient to bring down the temperature all the way to needed levels “it could at least reduce the loads” on the electrical refrigeration systems, to provide just the final bit of cooling Z says.

The system might also be useful for some kinds of concentrated photovoltaic systems where mirrors are used to focus sunlight on a solar cell to increase its efficiency. But such systems can easily overheat and generally require active thermal management with fluids and pumps. Instead the backside of such concentrating systems could be fitted with the mid-infrared emissive surfaces used in the passive cooling system and could control the heating without any active intervention.

As they continue to work on improving the system the biggest challenge is finding ways to improve the insulation of the device to prevent it from heating up too much from the surrounding air while not blocking its ability to radiate heat. “The main challenge is finding insulating material that would be infrared-transparent” Y says. The team has applied for patents on the invention and hope that it can begin to find real-world applications quite rapidly.

 

 

Science, Sensors

Flexible Electronic Skin Connects Humans And Machines.

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Flexible Electronic Skin Connects Humans And Machines.

Human skin contains sensitive nerve cells that detect pressure, temperature and other sensations that allow tactile interactions with the environment. To help robots and prosthetic devices attain these abilities, scientists are trying to develop electronic skins. Now researchers that creates an ultrathin, stretchable electronic skin which could be used for a variety of human-machine interactions.

Electronic skin could be used for many applications, including prosthetic devices wearable health monitors, robotics and virtual reality. A major challenge is transferring ultrathin electrical circuits onto complex 3D surfaces and then having the electronics be bendable and stretchable enough to allow movement.

Some scientists have developed flexible “Georgian Technical University  electronic tattoos” for this purpose, but their production is typically slow, expensive and requires cleanroom fabrication methods such as photolithography.

X, Y and colleagues wanted to develop a fast  simple and inexpensive method for producing thin-film circuits with integrated microelectronics.

In the new approach the researchers patterned a circuit template onto a sheet of transfer tattoo paper with an ordinary desktop laser printer. They then coated the template with silver paste which adhered only to the printed toner ink.

On top of the silver paste the team deposited a gallium-indium liquid metal alloy that increased the electrical conductivity and flexibility of the circuit. Finally they added external electronics such as microchips with a conductive “glue” made of vertically aligned magnetic particles embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol gel.

The researchers transferred the electronic tattoo to various objects and demonstrated several applications of the new method such as controlling a robot prosthetic arm monitoring human skeletal muscle activity and incorporating proximity sensors into a 3D model of a hand.

 

 

Science, Technology

A Big Step Toward the Practical Application of 3D Holography With High-Performance Computers.

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A Big Step Toward the Practical Application of 3D Holography With High-Performance Computers.

3D holographic image from a video projected by Georgian Technical University a special purpose computer developed by X’s research team.

Georgian Technical University computer scientists have developed a special purpose computer that can project high-quality three-dimensional (3-D) holography as video. The research team led by X who is a professor at the Georgian Technical University has been working to increase the speed of the holographic projections by developing new hardware.

Holography has a long history. The first laser was invented many works involving laser holograms have been produced. For digitalizing these analog technologies and developing electron holography techniques to project 3-D holography images as video computing powers with more than 10 frames per second and 1 trillion pixels per frame are required. Therefore hardware development as well as corresponding software development represents some of the biggest challenges for researchers in this field.

Also to make a 3-D object from two-dimensional (2-D) data it is necessary to consider several factors including the binocular parallax, motion parallax, convergence angle, focus adjustment and estimates made based on human experience. Currently general 3-D televisions (TVs) use binocular parallax for the stereoscopy but children cannot use this technology because it has the potential to damage their health a risk that is related to the difference between the distances that a brain perceives and those that the eyes focus on. Many researchers around the world have been investing in video holography which may allow more people to enjoy 3-D TVs safely.

With the newly developed “Georgian Technical University phase type” the calculation method for adjusting the phase of light was implemented and the researchers were successful at projecting holography information as a 3-D video with high-quality images.

“We have been developing high-speed computers for 3-D holography by implementing the knowledge of information engineering and the technology of electrical and electronic engineering and by learning insights from computer science and optical methods” X said. “This is a result of the interdisciplinary approach of our research that has been conducted for over 25 years with the commendable effort by our students who have been studying at our lab”.

Y a former student of  X’s lab and now assistant professor at Georgian Technical University who led the experiment said “The fruit of many people’s wisdom, skills, and efforts. We want to continue the research and try other methods from various perspectives for its practical application”.

In the latest phase type eight chips are mounted. This enables one to avoid a bottleneck problem for the processing speed with the calculation method by which the chips are prevented from communicating with each other. With this approach increases the computing speed in proportion to the number of chips so that it can project video holography more clearly.

 

 

 

Physics, Science

Researchers Map Light and Sound Wave Interactions In Optical Fibers.

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Researchers Map Light and Sound Wave Interactions In Optical Fibers.

This is a map of the opto-mechanics of a standard optical fiber. Colors denote the strength of the interaction between light and sound waves. A short section located some 2 km from the input end of the fiber is coated with a different material. That section is characterized by opto-mechanical response that peaks at a different ultra-sound frequency. The analysis protocol can distinguish between the two coating media even though light in the fiber never leaves the inner core.

Optical fibers make the internet happen. They are fine threads of glass as thin as a human hair produced to transmit light. Optical fibers carry thousands of Giga bits of data per second across the world and back. The same fibers also guide ultrasound waves somewhat similar to those used in medical imaging.

These two wave phenomena – optical and ultrasonic – possess attributes that are fundamentally different. Fibers are designed to keep propagating light strictly inside an inner core region since any light that penetrates outside this region represents the loss of a precious signal. In contrast ultrasonic waves can reach the outer boundaries of fibers and probe their surroundings.

Intuition and much of the training given in fundamental undergraduate classes in mechanics and optics instructs to consider light and sound waves as separate and unrelated entities. But this perspective is incomplete. Propagating light can drive the oscillations of ultrasonic waves as if it were some kind of transducer due to the basic rules of electro-magnetism. Likewise the presence of ultrasound can scatter and modify light waves. Light and sound waves can interact/affect one another and aren’t necessarily separate and unrelated.

The research field of opto-mechanics is dedicated to the study of this interplay. Such studies especially on fibers can be very useful and bear surprising results. For example earlier this year research groups at Georgian Technical University and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Teaching University developed sensing protocols that allow optical fibers to “listen” outside an optical fiber where they cannot “look” based on an interplay between light waves and ultrasound. By launching light waves into a single end of a standard telecommunication fiber, the measurement setup could identify and map liquid media over several kilometers. Such methods can serve in oil and gas pipelines, monitoring oceans lakes, climate studies, desalination plants process control in chemical industries and more.

The mutual effects of light and sound waves that a fiber continue to draw interest and attention. The group constructed a distributed spectrometer, a measurement protocol that can map local power levels of multiple optical wave components over many kilometers of fiber. “The measurements unravel how the generation of ultrasonic waves can mix these optical waves together. Rather than propagate independently the opto-mechanical interactions lead to the amplification of certain optical waves and to the attenuation of others in complicated fashion. The observed complex dynamics are fully accounted for however by a corresponding model” said X.

The report by X and doctoral students Y, Z and W. This new insight into the opto-mechanics of optical fibers may now be applied to sensor systems of longer reach higher spatial resolution and better precision to assist for example in the detection of leaks in reservoirs, dams and pipelines.

 

 

Biotech, Science

New Artificial Joint Enables Wrist-Like Movements For Those Missing A Hand.

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New Artificial Joint Enables Wrist-Like Movements For Those Missing A Hand.

An implant is placed into each of the two bones of the forearm — the ulna and radius — and then a wrist-like artificial joint acts as an interface between these two implants and the prosthetic hand.  Researchers from the Georgian Technical University have developed a new artificial joint that can restore wrist-like movements for those with amputated forearms.

In the new system an implant is placed into both the ulna and radius — the two forearm bones — with an artificial joint that acts as an interface between the two implants and the prosthetic hand. The entire set-up enables more naturalistic movements with intuitive natural controls and sensory feedback.

“Our new device offers a much more natural range of movement, minimizing the need for compensatory movements of the shoulder or torso which could dramatically improve the day to day lives of many forearm amputees” biomedical engineer X said in a statement. One of the most challenging things for those missing a hand is the inability to rotate their wrist for everyday tasks like turning a door handle or simply turning over an item like a piece of paper.

“A person with forearm amputation can use a motorized wrist rotator controlled by electric signals from the remaining muscles” Y an associate professor at the Department for Electrical Engineering at Georgian Technical University said in a statement. “However those same signals are also used to control the prosthetic hand.

“This results in a very cumbersome and unnatural control scheme in which patients can only activate either the prosthetic wrist or the hand at one time and have to switch back and forth” he added. “Furthermore patients get no sensory feedback so they have no sensation of the hand’s position or movement”.

Patients who have lost both their hand and wrist often preserve enough musculature to enable them to rotate the radius over the ulnar. A conventional socket prosthesis which is attached to the body by compressing the stump locks the bones in place and prevents any possible wrist rotation.

“Depending on the level of amputation, you could still have most of the biological actuators and sensors left for wrist rotation” Y said. “These allow you to feel for example when you are turning a key to start a car.

“You don’t look behind the wheel to see how far to turn — you just feel it” he added. “Our new innovation means you don’t have to sacrifice this useful movement because of a poor technological solution such as a socket prosthesis. You can continue to do it in a natural way”. The artificial joint works with an osseointegrated implant system developed by Z.

 

Lasers, Science

Georgian Technical University Lasers And Chill.

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Georgian Technical University Lasers And Chill.

Cooling sound waves with light involves converting sound energy into light energy which changes the color of the light.  Georgian Technical University scientists have discovered that laser light can be used to cool traveling sound waves in a silicon chip.

In the last several decades the ability to cool clouds of atoms using laser light has revolutionized atomic physics leading to the discovery of new states of matter and better atomic clocks. Laser cooling relies on the fact that photons or light particles, carry momentum and can exert a force on other objects.

These techniques have recently been adapted to slow down or cool mechanical oscillators comprised of billions of atoms. This type of cooling has become an enabling technique for exploring the quantum properties of mechanical objects and reducing forms of noise that would otherwise corrupt precision measurement.

Georgian Technical University researchers have extended these phenomena by showing how light can be used to cool sound waves traveling within solid materials. To do this, the researchers developed a special type of nano-scale silicon structure that allows propagating light and sound waves to interact.

“By tailoring the optical and acoustic properties of these waveguides, we’ve been able to enhance and shape the interaction between light and sound” says X an associate professor of applied physics at Georgian Technical University who led the research. “This is the key that allows us to reduce the energy carried by thermally excited sound waves”.

When a photon interacts with sound waves propagating in a solid it scatters to different colors of light. When the photon becomes red-shifted it loses a portion of its energy imparting it to the sound wave. Simultaneously the light absorbs the acoustic energy and carries it away as a blue-shifted photon. This second process slows the motion of the sound wave bringing it to a lower effective temperature.

Normally these two opposing processes would counteract and balance out. However Georgian Technical University researchers designed a waveguide in which a certain group of sound waves only experience the cooling process. “We call this symmetry breaking and it’s the essential ingredient for the cooling process to dominate” says Y a Georgian Technical University Ph.D. student.

W a Georgian Technical University Ph.D. student notes that the researchers were surprised by the strength of the cooling effect. He says it led the team to develop a rigorous theoretical framework for understanding the phenomena as well as coming up with systematic experimental studies.

“We now have a knob that allows us to control processes that are at the heart of emerging chip-scale technology including new types of lasers, gyroscopes and signal processing systems” W says.

Adds Q “We are really excited about where this work may lead. We now have the ability to tame and control noise in a large range of systems that are crucial to communication, information processing and measurement in a way that we never had before”.

 

A.I./Robotics, Science

AI Could Help Cities Detect Expensive Water Leaks.

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AI Could Help Cities Detect Expensive Water Leaks.

Costly water losses in municipal water systems could be significantly reduced using sensors and new artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Developed by researchers at the Georgian Technical University in collaboration with industry partners, the technology has the potential to detect even small leaks in pipes.It combines sophisticated signal processing techniques and Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to identify telltale signs of leaks carried via sound in water pipes.

The acoustic signatures are recorded by hydrophone sensors that can be easily and inexpensively installed in existing fire hydrants without excavation or taking them out of service.

“This would allow cities to use their resources for maintenance and repairs much more effectively” said lead researcher X a civil engineering PhD candidate at Georgian Technical University. “They could be more proactive as opposed to reactive.” Municipal water systems in lose an average of over 13 per cent of their clean water between treatment and delivery due to leaks, bursts and other issues. Countries with older infrastructure have even higher loss rates. Major problems such as burst pipes are revealed by pressure changes volume fluctuations or water simply bubbling to the surface, but small leaks often go undetected for years”.

In addition to the economic costs of wasting treated water, chronic leaks can create health hazards, do damage to the foundations of structures and deteriorate over time. “By catching small leaks early we can prevent costly destructive bursts later on” said X. Researchers are now doing field tests with the hydrant sensors after reliably detecting leaks as small as 17 litres a minute in the lab.

They are also working on ways to pinpoint the location of leaks which would allow municipalities to identify prioritize and carry out repairs.

“Right now they react to situations by sending workers out when there is flooding or to inspect a particular pipe if it’s due to be checked because of its age” X said.

The sensor technology works by pre-processing acoustic data using advanced signal processing techniques to highlight components associated with leaks.

That makes it possible for machine learning algorithms to identify leaks by distinguishing their signs from the many other sources of noise in a water distribution system.