Cutting-edge sensors ensure concrete strength

How could this tech keep the number of road repairs to a minimum?

Spotted: Behind only water, concrete is the second most widely used material on the planet, used in everything from roads and houses to pipes and other infrastructure. Although it’s extremely strong, concrete is hard to repair once damaged and using the material before it’s fully set makes it more vulnerable to cracks. Wavelogix wants to change that, with its new concrete sensors. 

Current concrete strength testing leaves a lot of room for human error, and often doesn’t take into account important variables like weather conditions. Because of this, street repairs or freshly laid concrete roads can often be deemed ‘ready to use’ prematurely before the concrete has fully set. Instead, Wavelogix has created patented sensors that link directly to engineers’ smartphones to tell exactly when the concrete is strong enough to withstand heavy traffic loads. 

Users simply toss the Rebel Concrete Strength Sensor into the concrete groundwork and connect it to the reusable, automated data-logger. Information collected by the device is available on the smartphone app in real time. Waiting until the concrete is ready for use helps to limit structural damages, which means less concrete is required for expensive future repairs and less disruption is caused by road closures.

Wavelogix has recently received a $3 million round of investment, following a research grant from the National Science Foundation back in 2022. The latest funding will help the company scale manufacturing and deploy its sensors across the US.

Written By: Archie Cox