Firms Challenge Engineers to Create IoT Solutions for Costly Water Leaks

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Firms Challenge Engineers to Create IoT Solutions for Costly Water Leaks

Engineering and insurance firms have challenged inventors to solve an issue that causes £2.5m worth of insurance pay-outs in the UK every day.

RS Components and Legal and General (L&G) are offering £15,000 for a new Internet of Things-based leak detection and warning system. The firms said they will transform the winning low-cost, open-source prototype into a product that can be installed in homes to protect from leaks and reduce insurance premiums.

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Image source: Pixabay

According to the Association of British Insurers, nearly one in five claims on buildings and contents insurance are for damage caused by leaks. As well as financial costs and physical damage, leaks also cause stress and disruption, RS said.

“Many water leakage claims happen when frozen pipes burst in the winter, but there are plenty of other reasons why leaks occur – poorly-installed washing machines or dishwashers, water seeping out from under the bath or shower, or leaky storage tanks in the loft,” said Maarten Ectors, L&G chief digital officer.

Any entry must address one or more of three criteria: detecting 'unusual' flow activity, such as water flowing for longer than normal; detecting water in areas where it should not be; and shutting off the water supply and possibly power automatically or remotely.

“It’s exciting to be tackling a meaningful, real-world problem and to that effect we’re asking for a serious commitment from entrants,” said Mike Bray from RS. “We don’t want vague unproven concepts, we’re looking for full design files alongside a working design and demo video.”

Entrants are encouraged to use the free RS DesignSpark software and supporting resources.

The deadline for entries is 27 November. The winner will be announced in January 2018.

For more information, visit the RS website

Source: Institution of Mechanical Engineers

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