Microphonon

Stand-off leak detection using high frequency acoustics Acoustic water leak detection has, until now, never been applied to automated home or building monitoring due to complexity and cost. MicroPhonon has solved these problems and developed an acoustic water leak sensor with the following advantages:* Completely automated for integration into a smart home or building product line * Signal processing and training at the edge; no audio data streamed to cloud; eavesdropping impossible * Stand-off detection * Low power design for multiple-year battery operation * Open-source hardware High-frequency acoustics are emitted by pressurized water as it escapes from cracked or leaking plumbing. Acoustic signals can travel a significant distance in air and be detected by a remote sensor. This technology overcomes the shortcomings of available water leak sensors. There is no need to retrofit plumbing for inline smart meters, which are not sensitive to very low flow rates. Unlike contact water sensors, ultrasonic leak detection is effective throughout the building structure – including attics and crawl spaces where pooling of water is difficult to identify and access. In 2022, MicroPhonon partnered with Crowd Supply to begin limited production of an acoustic leak sensor called AquaPing. We pivoted to an open hardware model, where the design files are available under a Creative Commons license. Follow us on Twitter @microphonon