Dundee-based M2M Cloud is aiming to take its water monitoring device to European markets with IoT innovation centre CENSIS.

The £140,000 project will help the IoT firm to enhance its existing Neptune water monitoring device – which is used to identify potential harmful bacteria outbreaks.

By incorporating machine learning (ML) and allowing it to operate on Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) and LoRaWAN networks, the firm will be able to improve on its previous design.

Once delivered, the device will be the first capable of operating on both networks. The dual network approach allows the battery-powered device to have network coverage wherever it’s needed.

ML techniques will be used to calculate risk scores for sites and predict potential issues before they occur, allowing organisations to better focus their resources.

Commenting on the news, Chris Butchart, director at M2M Cloud, said: “This project will allow us to take Neptune to the next level.

“Although the device is already considered to be the best-in-class automated water monitoring solution in the UK, we anticipate that we’ll be able to get the message out to even more organisations across Europe, where NB-IoT coverage is already well established.

“We’re passionate about helping organisations improve the safety of their water systems and do it in a way that enables a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions.”

Butchart added: “Working with the CENSIS team’s technical expertise will help us deliver that, removing barriers to sales and improving the installation experience for the Neptune device.”

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Cooled or heated between temperatures of 20-50°C and used infrequently, water carries the risk of developing harmful bacteria such as legionella.

It is a requirement for non-domestic buildings in the UK to come with water monitoring systems, at a cost of around £140 million per year. Financial estimates put the healthcare and workplace impact of legionella alone at £1 billion per year across the EU.

Costs can be cut using sensors on the surface of pipes to remotely take temperature readings more often, notifying the building user if the water system is out of specification.

Typically, engineers have had to travel to sites monthly, taking temperature readings manually, and then log the results, costing money and time.

Neptune claimed its device can significantly reduce carbon emissions from water monitoring by around 75%, by removing the need for travel, reducing water waste and the necessity to overheat water supplies, which organisations often do to avoid the risk of bacteria outbreaks.

Paul Winstanley, CEO at CENSIS, commented: “We supported M2M Cloud with the development of the original Neptune device, which has set a new standard for automated water monitoring in the UK.

“We had no hesitation in helping the team again when the opportunity arose to help with the next generation of the product following the award of the SMART grant.

“Our role is to support ground-breaking innovation like this in Scotland, and it’s particularly encouraging to see it emerge from a small company.”

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