Optellios to Participate in Structural Health Monitoring Event at Stanford University

Oct. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Newtown, PA (September 13, 2011) – Optellios, Inc., announced today that it will participate in the 8th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (IWSHM), which will be hosted by Stanford University in California on 13-15 of September, 2011. The workshop will feature a special poster session for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Technology Innovation Program (TIP) recipients to share their research and development advancements and technologies in the area of civil infrastructure. Optellios received the prestigious NIST TIP award in 2009 and is currently at the mid-point of a 3-year, $3.9 million program to develop a distributed fiber-optic sensing technology for early detection of leaks and structural failures in water pipelines.

According to the organizers, the purpose of the IWSHM workshop is to assess the current state-of-the-art technologies in this field and to discuss and identify key and emerging issues in research and development that are critical and unique in structural health monitoring. Several years ago NIST identified the rapid dilapidation of civil infrastructure as one of the areas of critical national need to be addressed by its TIP program. Optellios proposal for an innovative fiber-optic sensor system capable of monitoring the status and integrity of water pipelines and other similar structures won funding during the second year of the program.

Although the current research targets in-ground water infrastructure, including water mains and wastewater systems, potential applications exist across many other critical infrastructure sectors. Such a monitoring system is expected to become a valuable tool for infrastructure management, because it could assist operators in prioritizing maintenance schedules and prevent costly repairs and accidents.

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Fiber Patrol® by Optellios is capable of accurately identifying & locating an intrusion to within a few feet for perimeters exceeding 10mi in length, with the industry’s first intrusion sensor system that keeps working even if the sensor cable is cut.