Products
Infratico technology is purpose-built to match client needs, with technical specificaitons that can vary greatly. On this page, we present a small selection of technology implementations that have been developed and could be available for purchase by prospective clients. In general, our innovations are with respect to physical electronics,software algorithms (both traditional and AI), and domain expertise for structural health monitoring. Infratico offers a holistic approach to utilizing Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to enable greater efficiencies in asset management.
PEA Sensor
Zero-maintenance, low-cost, self-powered sensors embedded inside "smart structures" that can self-prognosticate damage and mechanical failure. Operational lifespan of deployed sensors are designed to last over two decades with early deployments of the prototype technology approaching their eigth year of operation. This self-powered approach enables harvesting of supplemental energy from the structure under monitoring itself, without the need for direct sunlight or external power sources. Each smart sensor can optionally employ Machine Learning (or AI) techniques to automatically classify patterns within incoming physical stimuli. This computation at the edge vastly reduces the bandwidth requirements of any backhaul network and gives readily available metrics that are categorized in-memory.
Continuous Monitoring
With a self-powered analog electronic sensing element, the local sensor memory can be updated without gaps in the temporal field due to traditional ADC sampling limitations. Data are continuously updated at effective sampling rates in excess of 32 ksps. Monitoring results are encrypted at rest.
Long-range Wireless
By leveraging the unique edge computing and local memory capabilities,Infratico is able to allocate more energy to enable long-range wireless communication (10+km, line-of-sight). By virtue of the compressive nature of the analog frontend, an equivalent configuration to a conventional 1 ksps digital data acquisition can yield a 100x savings in energy required to wirelessly transmit.
Wired or short-range wireless
The same sensor core can also be configured to transmit data over wires or short-range wireless technologies such as backscattering.
Flexible Form Factor
For large volume orders, the PEA sensor core can be manufactured on a custom silicon die with a package size under 5 x 5 mm2. Infratico has a portfolio of prototypes that are suitable for common built environment monitoring applications. Presented below is a wireless H-gauge strain sensor designed for embeded monitoring of pavements for 20+ years (cables were used during validation and are not present on final product).
| Specification | Value | Specification | Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Lifespan | 25 years | Wireless Range | 50 km(LoS) | |
| Sensitivity (Strain) | 5—12000µε | Effective Sampling | 64 ksps | |
| Sensitivity (Acceleration) | 0.005—32g | Local Data Storage | 1,000 days |
Wireless Communications
Infratico was a recepient of the National Science Foundation(NSF)Small Business Innovation Research grant with a focus on Infrastructure-to-Everything (I2X) Communication Technology for Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Support.
Zero-energy Standby
The communication paradigm results in near zero power consumption(nanoamps, on the scale of typical leakage currents for passive components)for the silicon chips that are listening for a magic packet.
Low latency Response
Upon receiving a magic packet, the silicon system is able to transmit a response in sub-ms. Measured results show the system works for high-speed applications such as a bullet train querying a piece of track as it travels in excess of 300 km/h.
Patented Results
The technology has protection through a U.S. patent and is available for licensing, or the technology can be included with other Infratico sensing solutions to meet client specifications.
Cradle to Grave
Enable material traceability of every component of the built environment from installation through to decomission. Along with continuous structural health monitoring technologies that Infratico offers, this local tagging of assets enables full lifecycle monitoring. Information collected during the construction phase (e.g. concrete mixture properties, weather, date, lab validation, etc.) are stored in a long-term memory device that is embedded or co-located with the structure. In the case of paved surfaces, this information is stored on an electronic chip placed inside of the pavement prior to curing, with wireless readout of the information (optional wireless data update/append available) from several meters away. Without relying on cloud data or other external databases, an authorized reader can gather historical information about a structure, that may provide aid in management purposes.
Weigh-in-motion
We are developing a weigh-in-motion solution that can scale from bicycles up to the largest commercial airplanes. Unlike portable scales that may require several seconds of stationary time,our approach can allow vehicles to remain in motion at speeds as high as 60 km/h while retaining significant levels of confidence and precision in the weight calculations.
Environmental Monitoring
We have a plethora of options available for monitoring the physical environment. Sensing can be for short duration, high fidelity to validate contractor work or for extended deployments to keep an eye on growing concerns. A non-exhaustive list of sensor modalities is:
Thermal
Our most popular line of long-term environmental sensing, the temperature sensing unit will operate between -40°C and 125°C with accuracy tolerances down to ±0.125°C and repeatable measurements within 0.05°C. Logs can be stored locally on the remote sensor units, as well as wirelessly transmitting measurements periodically. Energy harvesting options are available, and as an example, a single ½AA battery could power a long-range wireless temperature sensor for over 20 years with hourly updates.
Humidity
Over 50% of our clients order thermal sensors that are configured to simultaneously record the relative humidity. Response time (τ63%) under 10 s,with better than 0.5% repeatability,and ±1.2% accuracy are available. Better performance sensors available upon request, including a calibration certificate.
Light
Cumulative electromagnetic radiation exposure (one example of which could be visible light) can be measured and recorded on remote sensing units. These units can be configured to raise an audible alert upon exceeding a predetermined threshold, or when there is an excursion from the recent trend. Wireless transmission of data, in tandem, to a central server can serve as a means to orchestrate large deployments.
Deformation
Beyond stress, strain, or acceleration measurements, sensors are available that can detect permanent deformations or deflections in materials such as steel beams or soil stability.
Enabling Insights
The data are only as useful as the information that we can glean from it. Infratico is not simply a sensor hardware provider, we also offer expert analysis and automated software tools for supporting clients gather the insights that they need.
Supporting Traditional
Based on client needs, Infratico is able to measure the environmental stimuli and present data to domain experts for further analysis that is backed by traditional inspection means.
Extracting Trends
From the billions of raw data points, Infratico is able to distill it down to a more easily understood trend deviation dashboard. Using a fusion of sensor modalities and proprietary algorithms, a structure's remaining useful life can be estimated and plotted over time.
AI-enabled
As with many others, Infratico is enabling AI when requested by clients. Data are the proprietary property of each client, and there is no cross-sharing without prior approval. Infratico does not sell or transfer data to external third parties, unless required by law or explicitly requested by a client.
Forward Looking
Infratico is constantly iterating and searching for additional value that we can unlock using the unique hardware feature set and software platform. Additional capabilities are available for clients that have completed NDA agreements, with further insights unlocked from access to larger datasets.