University Invents Cheap, Tiny 3D-Printed Device to Monitor Water Quality in Homes

Engineers at a university in BC have designed a device that can inform consumers if their home water source is contaminated.

The 3D-printed object, crafted at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, is substantially cheaper–and smaller–than conventional sensors.

“The big idea of the project was to have a cost-effective way of measuring water quality that we can install in every node of drinking water in the city,” Mina Hoorfar, director of UBC Okanagan’s school of engineering, told Metro News. “I’ve been doing research around the water for almost seven years and I know there is a perception that water quality in the developed countries is good, but [we] can have problems here too.”

The device can fit in one’s palm and the materials cost less than $10 combined.

UBC can only create a prototype, however, so Hoorfar says she is seeking investors to scale production.