Smart plumbing could be the next area of development for connected home devices with the unveiling of Sonic, an intelligent water monitor that can combat leaks in real-time.
Hero Labs has teamed up with OneAV to distribute the smart water monitor that utilises ultrasonic technology to monitor water usage, detect leaks and if needed, shut off the water using an integrated ball valve within the device.
The Sonic will be made available to OneAV customers, with the device expected to ship out in February.
While the device is set for a UK release initially, Hero Labs will be making the Sonic available to international customers in 2020.
With water restrictions being a big part of Australian culture, with the increasing prevalence of drought and bushfire severity, the Sonic could find its self right at home down under.
Using advanced AI algorithms, Sonic can learn and understand water-usage habits within a household by tracking water usage over time.
The device is fitted directly to the main water supply and is sensitive enough to detect even the smallest water flow, as well as identify other appliances connected in the plumbing network.
To assist in its adoption, the Sonic features an open API architecture and Control4 SDDP built-in, for integration with a Control4 system.
Ben Hayes, Residential Sales Executive at OneAV is hoping the device can help remedy or even outright prevent ‘plumbing issues such as leaks’.
The Sonic Hero companion app can remotely monitor the smart water device, which provides estimated water use and can notify you about possible leaks.
You can even see which appliances are being used to the most and whether any of them are over-consuming water.
The Sonic is capable of sampling the water supply up to 86,000 times a day to determine water consumption and to accurately detect problems in your plumbing.
Ambient and pipe temperature sensors can also alert users about potential frozen or freezing pipes, though this may not be that useful for us down under.
An integrated pressure sensor allows the Sonic to schedule pressure checks on the plumbing system, which can alert you to even the smallest possible leak.
Paired with the Sonic is a visual status indicator called Signal that plugs into a regular wall outlet to give you updates about the status of your plumbing network via LED lights or an internal sounder.
Depending on the application, the Sonic can battery powered for up three years on two lithium AA batteries, or through the power main directly.
Hero Labs is a London based tech company that is applying cutting-edge technology to combat water leaks for UK homes and businesses.
They were even awarded the CEDIA Tech Starter Award in September which put an extra $2,500 in their pockets for research & development.
Should Hero Labs and Sonic arrive down under, we might begin to start seeing more water conscious consumers as the process for monitoring water use becomes much more accessible than checking the meter.
