Battery-free sensors provide real time sensing on rail carriages
Battery-free sensors have been developed by Glasgow University spinout RX Watt Ltd to improve preventative maintenance and condition monitoring on rail carriages.
The sensors aim to prevent costly equipment failures in industries which depend on monitoring products and goods in real-time.
The new sensors receive power wirelessly from radio waves, directly providing energy to small electronics that collect data including temperature and vibration, which is then sent to the user via a Bluetooth interface.
The sensors are designed to be retrofitted to existing rolling stock carriages and could reduce the cost and environmental footprint of wiring in modern trains.
The effectiveness of the sensors was validated at the BCIMO Very Light Rail Innovation Centre, where the feasibility of safely sending power using microwaves to the sensors was demonstrated using the centre’s test vehicles, including a passenger rail carriage and a T69 tram.
The development of the sensors is supported by the Contracts for Innovation: International Rail Innovation Challenges programme, funded jointly by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and delivered by Innovate UK.
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