Scotland, UK: Water Canary Inc. unveiled a device at TED Global in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device, Water Canary, uses GPS and Crowdsourcing to identify global water problems. It provides real-time information on potential outbreaks of disease- infected water. It lets anyone test water with the push of the button and then submits the results along with location data wirelessly.
More than 3.5 million people die each year as the result of water-related disease according to the World Health Organization. The company hopes it can identify problems much more quickly than chemical-based testing and prevent communities from drinking contaminated water.
The device analyses water samples by using light and measuring what wavelengths to draw conclusions. A red light flashes to alert the user to a potential water problem. However, the company’s founder, Sonaar Luthra said, “It is not ever going to replace a lab but maybe we don’t need that to make better decisions. We are not trying to compete with water testing companies. What will hopefully happen is if you get enough red readings in an area you will take a more extensive kit there to do a more extensive reading of the area.”
To get the scale needed for such a solution to work, Luthra wants to make the devices free, with the costs being subsidised by selling the full firehose of data. He also wants to open source the technology, allowing others to build their own versions of the Water Canary. The company is looking to raise capital so that it can invest further in developing the device and bringing costs down, as each Water Canary is currently made by hand and costs between USD 100-200 to produce.
Source: Mashable
