Use fiber optic sensors to forecast landslides

This is one of the latest research by the University of Naples in Italy, in which scientists have utilized optical fibers to create a slope-tracking system to provide early warning landslides. to reduce the damage of people and of.

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Landslide. (Photo: Gizmag)

Professor Luigi Zeni, who led the study, said the system consists of a network of interlocking sensor modules, each of which - set in a plastic tube containing the fiber optic sensor. These modules are buried along slopes up to several square kilometers. Once the soil texture changes, the wiring and fiber optic sensors are twisted.

The scientists only need to rely on the modulus of the modules to assess the overall tension that the slopes are suffering from, thus predicting the imminent threat of landslides.

According to experts, the new system has the advantage of being more durable, less expensive, and more accurate than sensors that measure motion and tilt of the soil used to predict landslide present.