The capacity for fiber optic cables and power lines to improve quality of human life is just now being fully realized. A research team at the Second University of Naples in Naples, Italy is going to be presenting their findings on fiber optic cables in the prevention and early detection of landslides at Frontiers in Optics in Tucson, Arizona later this month.
The team is proposing to use fiber optic cables to create neurosystems of rocky terrain and mountain areas in order to detect possible sites of landslides and erosion. Currently, electrical systems are being used, but the team has already reported that those systems can be easily damaged, making them useless in larger landslide events.
Optical fiber sensors can be embedded in soil to measure the extremely slow downshift of different soils. These sensors would be able to detect the type of soil and rock that they are measuring – making preliminary detection much quicker and more accurate than the electrical systems. Whether they are measuring fractured rock debris, pyroclastic flow, or fine-grained soil, fiber optic cable just functions more efficiently. Optical fiber cables are also malleable and tougher than electrical cables – meaning that they can withstand actual landslides after they happen – saving resources.
This proposed technology has the capacity to save untold resources – both financial and sentimental – as well as human lives.
Connected Fiber is excited about the new capabilities of the resources that we use every day to make lives easier. Contact us today for all of your fiber optic needs!
