New Termite Technology to Save Millions
Announcement posted by DesignBuild Source 18 May 2012
Researchers at the University of Melbourne are confident a new device will save millions of dollars in the construction and electrical distribution industry.
The smart timber monitor, a wireless remote monitoring device, can accurately measure decay and insect infestations in construction timber over vast distances, the university says in a statement.
The university says the monitor, which will eventually be able to fit into the palm of a hand, can be attached to timber beams, joists or power poles, where it monitors at predetermined intervals their structural integrity, moisture content, and – through an ingenious ‘listening device’ – the movement of termites and other wood-boring insects.
It says the new monitor is the brainchild of Dr. Berhan Ahmed, a senior research fellow at the University’s Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science and a 2009 Victorian of the Year, who has been developing the technology over the past four years with distinguished radar technology expert and associate professor Peter Farrell, and senior engineering lecturer, Dr. Graham Brodie.
Supported by IT technician Deepan Babu Thanigasalam and PhD student Ahmed El-Hadad, Ahmed recently completed successful field trials with hundreds of sensors reporting decay and insect damage on 40 power poles and 87 miniature model houses at a test site near Gove in Arnhem Land, which he describes as one of the most challenging environments for building in the country...