Infersens rolls out AI water sensor in trial
Infersens has launched its first commercially available water sensor in a trial.
Cambridge-based Infersens has launched Cortense in a funded trial to monitor the risk of Legionella and cut water waste.
Cortense is a precision water monitoring system for both flow and temperature based on a battery-powered tinyML sensing technology to solve the power and performance issues affecting alternative systems.
Legionella bacteria, which can multiply in stagnant water systems, poses a serious risk to human health, and must be prevented to protect against harmful disease outbreaks. However, traditional techniques like tap flushing and manual temperature checks are resource-intensive, unreliable, and prone to human error.
The small, wireless devices are easy to install on water pipes anywhere within a building. Once in place, they provide real-time coverage of flow and temperature within your water system. The data is collected and recorded in a centralised dashboard, providing operators with easy access to the information 24/7.
The development of Cortense follows seven years of R&D and use case development with public and commercial properties in the UK.
Wave, a national water retailer, is using Cortense in a two-year, 1,000-device deployment project to automate and optimise Legionella risk monitoring tasks, support regulatory compliance, improve resource efficiency, and reduce water waste.
“Our initial funding rounds enabled us to complete the development and pilot the technology, and this first solution launch enables us to take our product to more companies on commercial trials as we have with Wave,” said Infersens CEO, Jana Voigt.
The funding from the UK Market Improvement Fund allows a selection of business customers will have the opportunity to trial the innovative, remote, retro-fit flow/temperature sensors provided by Infersens.
This will be achieved by using data collected by the sensors which will read the temperature profiles and confirm the taps and systems that have had sufficient flow in the past week, and so present low risk of Legionella and don’t need any manual intervention.
This trial will be the first of its kind in the UK that will attempt to quantify the volume of water used by businesses to manage Legionella risk, and to provide evidence that new technology, including that provided by Infersens, can be the key to unlock this untapped source of water efficiency savings.
“Current Legionella risk management strategies often result in significant water wastage, so we’re excited to be able to run this trial which we hope will drive behaviour change in businesses and make it easier for them to fulfil their obligations,” said Oli Shelley, Head of Operations at Wave.
“As the Infersens sensors will provide 24/7 flow and temperature data where remote sensors are deployed, businesses will be able to target specific taps and systems, to reduce unnecessary wastage. This has the potential to highlight substantial water saving opportunities for both our customers and our national resources.”
Infersens is looking to engage with technology companies who are interested in water-efficiency technology and are wanting to find out more about climate-resilient water solutions.
“Our hope is that through this collaboration we can evolve legacy Legionella risk management practices to become more effective, and more sustainable,” said Voigt.
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