Device set to ease fluid level measurement

FELT has no moving parts and is immune to temperature change. It is not affected by external interference such as metal objects, people or electrical noise, and requires no calibration. Cambridge Consultants says the technology can accurately eliminate a range of problems by continuously measuring liquid levels and setting an alert when they reach a certain mark. FELT is made up of three parallel low cost, simple and customisable electrodes – one measurement electrode and two reference electrodes – with no direct contact between the electrodes and the fluid being measured. An electric field is applied to the electrodes to measure the ratio of the electric charge between the measurement and reference electrodes and, as a result, determine a continuously accurate liquid level. "We found that other fluid measurement technologies with similar accuracy use radar or ultrasonics and are very expensive, while cheaper devices have accuracy issues and use probes that require careful calibration," said Dr Temoc Rodriguez, principal engineer at Cambridge Consultants. "FELT uses a novel approach to enable this new cost effective yet remarkably robust sensor platform. We're now keen to discuss with potential clients how FELT could be customised to solve all kinds of level sensing problems where existing techniques don't work."