Fraying, sparking, and degrading power lines emit a certain sound frequency, that when detected and addressed can prevent outages and fires. Recognizing this, Ohio-based Exacter had an idea: can we create a device that could be mounted to garbage trucks (or any other vehicle) that would detect and record these signals for early detection?
Tomorrow Lab worked with Armstrong to create an archive of known patterns and a device that can identify them by reading wireless signals at a certain frequency. It can detect these signals at dozens or hundreds of yards, allowing the device to be mobile and attached vehicles that roam around city roads near power lines. With this information, the operating company can quickly identify issues in the power grid and notify their clients - who are typically the power companies responsible for maintaining the lines - to repair the system before it gets worse.
Each battery-powered unit we developed not only contains the technology to detect the power line issues, but also GPS to geolocate it, environmental sensors to record local conditions, and an LTE-M module to send all the info to the cloud throughout the day. Plus, with a built-in accelerometer, the unit intelligently sleeps and wakes in accordance with the vehicle’s motion.
