According to a Dec. 19, 2012 news item on Azonano there’s a nanotechnology-enabled sensor which can identify snow depth,
Snow is the be-all and end-all for alpine ski resorts. Now a tiny sensor has been developed to determine how much cold gold there is on the slopes and how much more should be produced. The sensor is based on Norwegian radar technology and is no larger than a match head.
The processor chip from Novelda is the result of high-level nanotechnology. The minuscule Norwegian-designed silicon chip has already become an international success. Customers around the world are creating applications based on the technology.
The US-based company Flat Earth has drawn on Novelda’s technology to develop the SDS-715 snow-depth sensor. [emphasis mine] It is capable of measuring snow depth from 15 cm to 2 m with a margin of error of 3.5 cm.
The sensor is mounted beneath the vehicle that prepares the tracks. Snow depth is measured at one-second intervals. A separate application can be used to display snow depths via Google Earth.
There are widespread applications for the nanoscale sensor. Eirik Næss-Ulseth, Chairman of the Board in Novelda, envisions integrating the chips into athletic garments to replace pulse sensors that are currently held in place with an elastic band.
“We have already proven that the chips can be used to measure pulse and breathing rates at a distance,” he explains.
Novelda was founded as a spin-off company from the University in Oslo. …
The Research Council of Norway provided the Dec. 17, 2012 news release, written by Siw Ellen Jakobsen/Else Lie and translated by Glenn Wells/Carol B. Eckmann, which originated the news item. Oddly, Novelda issued a June 5, 2011 news release about a similar, if not identical, product,
Flat Earth Incorporated announced today they have developed the first mobile snow depth sensor based on the Novelda AS NVA6000 CMOS impulse radar chip. The SDS-715 provides a non-contact approach for determining snow depth on the go. [emphasis mine] Measurement range is 0.15 to 2.0 meters with an accuracy of approximately 3.5 cm, snow condition dependent.
This rugged low cost snow depth measurement system is designed for snow grooming operations at Alpine and Nordic ski resorts. Snow depth beneath the snowcat is measured every second, approximately every 3 meters at 8 kmph. The SDS-715 is cheaper than current ground penetrating radar systems on the market today. When used with Flat Earth’s CatWorks Snowcat navigation and information system, depth maps of the resort trails can be created and viewed in Google Earth.
For those new to marketing and promotion, it never hurts to reissue or send more information about a previously announced product, especially when it can be tied in with a season. Still, this is a bit longer than usual between campaigns.
For anyone interested in Flat Earth; nanoscale radar products and consulting, the company’s website is under construction and due to be unveiled sometime December 2012 (or, later this month).