PROTEUS

Motivation

The monitoring of water networks is a longstanding topic, as they are extreme-value keystones of life-supporting and commercial infrastructures.

The size and diversity of the networks requires availability of sensors in large number, while a very strong constraint on the final cost of water requires that the cost for monitoring means is relatively low. At the same time, due to dynamics in water networks, they should be able to evolve, while in use if possible.

To that respect, long-term management of water resources requires widespread, low-cost monitoring means with highly differentiated requirements (to monitor networks of drink water, rain water, waste water) and adaptive capabilities (dynamic setup of parameters to monitor and of associated process to follow).

However, despite an increasing demand for adaptability and multi-functionality at ever decreasing costs, the vast majority of water network monitoring systems remains based on sensor nodes with predefined and vertical applicative goals hindering interoperability and increasing costs (OPEX and CAPEX) for deploying new and added value services.

Objective

The objective of PROTEUS project (http://www.proteus-sensor.eu/) is to deliver an energy autonomous, highly multifunctional MEMS‐and nano‐enabled sensor node for adaptive and cognitive drink, rain and waste water monitoring. The smart system comprises chemical sensors based on carbon nanotube, MEMS based physical sensors, and a cognitive/predictive engine, providing on the fly reconfigurability. The total system is:

• Multi-purpose: ONE sensor for THREE use cases (drink, waste and rain water).
• Multi-sensing: NINE sensing parameters in ONE chip.
• Multi-functional: SIX main functions (sensing, storing, processing, actuation, communication, energy harvesting) in ONE sensor.
• Cognitive: Smart behavior, learning/predictions, data correlations.

Use cases/Verticals

PROTEUS outcome is validated in three (3) use cases, all related to water monitoring, at both lab validation scale and industrial trials.

• Drink water network.
• Waste water network.
• Rain water network.

WINGS involvement

WINGS is the WP4 (Software implementation and testing) leader.
Designed/developed by WINGS technologies and tools comprise....

....embedded intelligence for smart behavior:

• Identification of critical events (alerts/alarms).
• Self-adaptation of measurement and transmission profiles, readjustment of range profiles.
• Energy management.

...embedded and cloud-based intelligence for smart application:

• Prediction of critical events.
• Data correlation for virtual sensing, event detection based on combined measurements, detection of faulty sensor (e.g. damage, calibration, calcium deposit) for maintenance.
• Automatic calibration for supporting sensor manufacturing.

WINGS prospects

Our expected outcome is to enhance WINGS’ Cloud-IoT platform by developing, integrating and validating smart components, for the predictive and cognitive management of water resources; these components will be optimally distributed from the chip/embedded level to the cloud level. WINGS target and expectation from the PROTEUS project is to enhance its expertise by being in position to deliver smart systems that involve physical elements of various scales (i.e., elements of the micro/nano level also, beyond the currently used resources of data centers or communication nodes). In other words the intelligence (decision making, learning) will be optimally (with respect to quality and resource consumption criteria) distributed to the elements of the various scales. The outcome will be an expanded portfolio of competences and enhanced opportunities for products. Specifically, WINGS will contribute advanced functions and powerful APIs to the PROTEUS system. Indicatively, these functions will provide the means for the predictive/cognitive management of water resources, while the APIs will provide the means for intelligent reconfiguration (hence, chip programmability and communication). The functions that will be specified, developed, validated by WINGS will form the cognitive engine that will be integrated on the prototype chips, which will be delivered by PROTEUS. This porting of intelligence at the chip level will offer valuable insight to WINGS and to its PROTEUS partners.

Important conditions needed to achieve these outcomes are first, the interaction with water industry experts for deriving requirements, accessing relevant data and validating the new solutions, and second, the existence of multifunctional and reconfigurable sensing hardware to apply the software solutions. At first stage, both conditions are satisfied through the collaborations inside PROTEUS. At second stage, WINGS aims at developing a complete solution towards full commercialization through point to point collaborations in water management domain, and by seeking funds from venture capitals.

PROTEUS will result into a concrete and exploitable prototype. It is also anticipated that further opportunities for water management (and associated business) will also be available. Therefore, it is anticipated that supported use cases and the associated product specifications will need to be extended to support new deployments and stakeholders.

Further work will also be needed in order to migrate towards the complete product solution, which will enable further commercialization. PROTEUS outcomes may lead to point to point collaborations in water management domain, and will also constitute a concrete basis for seeking venture capital funds (for further commercialization of the PROTEUS results).

Awards /demonstration video

WINGS and PROTEUS received the “WssTP Water Innovation SME Award” in the context of the Water Innovation Europe 2016, June 21-23, Brussels.
Demonstration of our Embedded and Cloud-based software for Smarter Water Monitoring Systems is available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8luC9t13eU.

Our team has participated in a number of demonstration/exhibition events with a lot of outstanding visitors.

Website: http://www.proteus-sensor.eu/

Framework: H2020 

Duration: 02.2015-01.2018