{"id":257783,"date":"2020-11-20T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=257783"},"modified":"2020-11-20T09:00:30","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T08:00:30","slug":"bridges-have-almost-eternal-life-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/bridges-have-almost-eternal-life-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridges have (almost) eternal life now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p id=\"block-3fc1bfab-6313-4cf9-bc74-e9130dbe8007\">The infrastructure in Europe (and beyond its borders) is in trouble. A low point was reached two years ago when part of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, suddenly collapsed. Forty-three people lost their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-5fa3bca1-54e4-492a-a067-2e27fbc5d293\">The problem mostly concerns viaducts and bridges that are about fifty years old. That time roughly corresponds to the service life of reinforced concrete from the 1960s and 1970s. &#8220;Outdated infrastructure is a global problem,&#8221; says Valentina Bacchettini, general manager at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wisepower.it\/en\/\">Wisepower<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Wireless &#8216;senses&#8217; can indicate in time whether a structure is in danger.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The company from Perugia (Italy) believes it has the solution to this problem through the permanent monitoring of structures with the help of sensors. These &#8216;senses&#8217; indicate in time whether a structure is in danger. Once an alarm is triggered, something can be done about the maintenance in a targeted manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-c198dfd9-0875-43dc-ae79-8ffe230bcaeb\">Monitoring sensors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-a99628b2-9e57-4da5-8ed2-37eccb253ea3\">There are more monitors that safeguard infrastructural structures. For example, the successor to the Morandi Bridge, which was inaugurated last August, is also equipped with &#8216;surveillance sensors.&#8217; &#8220;But those sensors are not wireless,&#8221; notes Bacchettini. In fact, Wisepower has two USPs: the sensors communicate wirelessly and they charge themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"block-098574b6-0f81-4f2d-a52b-1600fdac1586\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Istallazione-Minerva-Medica-1-753x1004.jpeg\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Istallazione-Minerva-Medica-1-753x1004.jpeg\"\/><figcaption>A sensor checks the vibrations in the temple of Minerva Medica in Rome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The last one in particular is special. &#8220;Our devices are anchored to structures that are subjected to vibrations. In the device, the vibrational energy is converted into electrical energy, which powers the sensors&#8221;. Incidentally, there is also a solar cell in the device in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-1b378b55-c400-4079-a1a2-ce37a17dc9b4\">Widening the range of frequencies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-abbd7cfa-a15b-4321-9b64-a6bc92f60c38\">It&#8217;s a bit like self-winding watches, which generate energy through the kinetic movement of the arm. But if a watch like this is not worn on the wrist, but instead is lying on the dashboard of a car, for example, it will not recharge itself. The movement of the car will not be converted into energy by the watch. Wisepower&#8217;s sensors can do that, however, because they are &#8220;capable of broadening the range of frequencies,&#8221; says Bacchettini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-88f53bdf-8f11-4bf3-a184-76db06af3e28\">The device has been in use in Italy for a few years already. A number of viaducts in northern Italy, for instance, have been equipped with it. But communication masts and above-ground oil pipelines also have WiseSensing cabinets, as they are known as.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-be191cab-a9a4-4832-aa79-c41410b6f7a6\">Temple of Minerva Medica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-e6552299-cb8e-41d8-bb8c-cd42d3b20c3f\">The device is not only intended for bridges and viaducts, but also for wind turbines, transmission masts, above-ground oil pipelines, and so on. Even historical monuments can be tracked with these kinds of sensors. For example, the temple of <a href=\"http:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/Thayer\/E\/Gazetteer\/Places\/Europe\/Italy\/Lazio\/Roma\/Rome\/Minerva_Medica\/home.html\">Minerva Medica<\/a> in Rome is equipped with sensors from Wisepower. The temple dates from the third century A.D. and is located right next to a busy railroad line and is consequently literally under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-07c65809-5002-4474-8ae9-4bdf50809508\">If it is up to the general manager, then the Colosseum will also be filled with sensors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-c814fc67-d463-45c7-a833-f7100c8c284b\"><strong>Also interesting<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/genoas-new-bridge-must-not-collapse\/\">Genoa\u2019s new bridge must not collapse<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The infrastructure in Europe (and beyond its borders) is in trouble. A low point was reached two years ago when part of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, suddenly collapsed. Forty-three people lost their lives. The problem mostly concerns viaducts and bridges that are about fifty years old. That time roughly corresponds to the service [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1788,"featured_media":517788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26049],"tags":[55959,53330,55937,33647,35799,55961,27509,55941,32133,55963,55946],"location":[47626],"article_type":[],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-257783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility","tag-bridges","tag-genoa","tag-genua","tag-infrastructure","tag-italy","tag-morandi-bridge","tag-newsletter-en","tag-perugia","tag-smart-sensors","tag-wireless-sensors","tag-wisepower","location-italy"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Bridges, wind turbines, gas pipelines and the Colosseum do not have eternal life. But wireless sensors that charge themselves can help prolong their lives.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Ewout Kieckens","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/ewout-kieckens\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Viadotto-Morandi-300x225.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">bridges<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Genoa<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">genua<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">infrastructure<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Italy<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Morandi Bridge<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Newsletter<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">perugia<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">smart sensors<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">wireless sensors<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">wisepower<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">bridges<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Genoa<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">genua<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">infrastructure<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Italy<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Morandi Bridge<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Newsletter<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">perugia<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">smart sensors<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">wireless sensors<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">wisepower<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 5 years ago","modified":"Updated 5 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 20, 2020","modified":"Updated on November 20, 2020"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 20, 2020 9:00 am","modified":"Updated on November 20, 2020 9:00 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1788"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=257783"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=257783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}