Developing Wireless Sensor System for Continuous Monitoring of Bridge Deformation

 Towards infrastructure sensing, monitoring and maintenance.

Researchers develop wireless sensor system for continuous monitoring of bridge deformation   by Drexel University

Researchers in Drexel University's College of Engineering have developed a solar-powered, wireless sensor system that can continually monitor bridge deformation and could be used to alert authorities when the bridge performance deteriorates significantly. With more than 46,000 bridges across the country considered to be in poor condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, a system like this could be both an important safety measure, as well as helping to triage repair and maintenance efforts.

The system, which measures bridge deformation and runs continuously on photovoltaic power, was unveiled in a recent edition of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics in a paper authored by Drexel College of Engineering researchers, Ivan Bartoli, Ph.D., Mustafa Furkan, Ph.D., Fei Lu, Ph.D., and Yao Wang, a doctoral student in the College.

"With as much aging infrastructure as there is in the U.S. we need a way to keep a close eye on these critical assets 24/7," said Bartoli, who leads the Intelligent Infrastructure Alliance in the College of Engineering. "This is an urgent need, not just to prevent calamitous and often tragic failures, but to understand which bridges should take priority for maintenance and replacement, so that we can efficiently and sustainably approach the preservation and improvement of our infrastructure."

More than 40% of America's 617,000 bridges are more than 50 years old. While they are built to last, they must also be inspected regularly—every two years, according to Bartoli, who is a professor in the College.

Device for Fixing Broken Bones Piloted in Gaza, Sri Lanka and Ukraine

No embedded tech I can see.       Forwarded to me regarding possible manufacturing methods.

Device for Fixing Broken Bones Piloted in Gaza, Sri Lanka and Ukraine  by Hayley Dunning, 11 January 2023

Imperial researchers have developed a low-cost, easy-to-manufacture stabiliser for broken bones to help where such devices are in short supply.

The stabiliser, known as an external fixator, holds broken bones in place with metal pins or screws attached to a surrounding metal frame.

We have managed to develop an external fixator that is one-tenth of the cost of commercial devices but with similar performance.    Dr Mehdi Saeidi

When soft tissue is severely damaged together with bone, external fixators are the first step in keeping fractures in legs and arms in place before an operation to definitively fix the bones can be carried out.

However, their cost and low availability in many regions mean people resort to homemade or low-quality fixators that may lead to serious complications or improper healing.

The Imperial external fixator is currently being tested in Gaza and Sri Lanka, and since the invasion of Ukraine, more than 500 fixators have been manufactured in Poland to help with the crisis.

Response to unpredictable situations

This fixator, details of which are published in Frontiers in Medical Technology, is low-cost and has a lightweight design that can be manufactured locally to international standards. The team developed the design and a toolkit to allow repeated precise manufacture of the fixator anywhere in the world, including in the least developed countries.

In Sri Lanka, it is being tested for road traffic accidents, which account for around 70 percent of fractures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Ukraine and Gaza, both regions with unpredictable demand and supply of such devices, it is being used for gunshot wounds and other conflict trauma.

Lead researcher Dr Mehdi Saeidi, from the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial, said: “We have managed to develop an external fixator that is one-tenth of the cost of commercial devices but with similar performance. This device can provide surge capacity for conflict zones or in response to unpredictable incidents and situations, which was the case with the war in Ukraine.”

Metal rods and discs

The first batch of the parts made in Poland for casualties of the war in Ukraine

The fixator is made up of four clamping systems and a rod, which can be manufactured from stainless steel and aluminum, which are readily available materials, using conventional manufacturing techniques, such as milling and turning. ... ' 

Right to Repair?

Expected perhaps, but quite complex in planning. 

An Emergent Legal Right to Repair Electronic Devices

By Pamela Samuelson

Communications of the ACM, November 2022, Vol. 65 No. 11, Pages 22-25 10.1145/3563966

In the not too distant past, anyone who owned a machine or other device—whether it be a radio, a typewriter, a bicycle, or a car—had an unquestionable right to repair that device if and when it broke down. Often owners could take their devices apart, diagnose problems, and fix or replace the broken parts themselves. Moreover, if the owners lacked skills to repair their own devices, they could take the devices to independent repair shops. It was once common for manufacturers to provide schematics to aid repair efforts and attract customers to purchase their devices.

Well, that was then, and this is now. With software now pervasively embedded in all manner of devices—cars, tractors, toasters, and smartphones, just to name a few—it has become difficult, and sometimes impossible, for owners of devices to repair them when they break down or have them fixed by independent repair shops. Often this is because parts, tools, and schematics are unavailable. But because embedded software is copyright-protected and often subject to license and technical restrictions on reverse engineering, repair, and maintenance, repairing your own devices or hiring others to repair them may also be legally risky .... ' 

Right to Repair Envisioned, Regulated

Including the right to repair.   Rarely an issue in a big company, but useful for the individual.   Still will add significantly to the cost of designs involved. 

Europe Champions the Right to Repair Are other regions next?   by DAVID SCHNEIDER

   ... US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to address "unfair anticompetitive restrictions on third-party repair or self-repair of items." That order also tasked the Secretary of Commerce to report on "a plan for avoiding contract terms in procurement agreements that make it challenging or impossible for the Department of Defense or service members to repair their own equipment, particularly in the field."

The notion of soldiers at some far-flung military base unable to fix critical gear because the manufacturer insists that it be sent back to an authorized repair facility is troubling to say the least. So it's no wonder that the FTC quickly responded by voting unanimously to reinvigorate its efforts to enforce existing right-to-repair legislation, in line with the stance the agency took in May when it issued a report on the topic, "Nixing the Fix."... '