Wholly innovative gas detectors
Highly innovative gas microsensors, the result of fifteen years' research in the UCLouvain laboratories, will soon be on the market thanks to Belgian investors.
VOCSens, a spin-off of UCLouvain, has developed small gas sensors based on technological choices that are totally different from the products already available on the market. The new environmental camera concept is able to detect gas molecules in the atmosphere.
itcan also sort the different gases measured and use algorithms to extract the most relevant data.
In practical terms, multi-pixel sensors, similar to those found in mobile phones, transform the signals caused by the presence of gas into electrical signals. These are then translated by artificial intelligence algorithms into usable values thanks to polymer and nanocomposite materials that allow these new microsensors to react differently depending on the gas.
Many different applications will allow these microsensors to contribute to better environmental monitoring. They range from gas detection at industrial sites, monitoring water treatment plants and recycling sites, and measuring air quality to monitoring the condition of patients and detecting foods unfit for consumption in refrigerators.
Smaller, but also up to 50 times cheaper than traditional sensors, these Belgian microsensors meet the essential criteria for leadership in this sector.