Human beings are known for a myriad of different things, but their most recognizable feature is still that tendency to pursue growth on a consistent basis. This tendency to improve, no matter the situation, has already fetched the world some huge milestones, with technology emerging as quite a major member of the group. The reason why we hold technology in such a high regard is, by and large, based on its skill-set, which ushered us towards a reality that nobody could have ever imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look beyond the surface for a second, it should become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired from the way we applied those skills across a real world environment. The latter component, in fact, did a lot to give the creation a spectrum-wide presence and start what was a full-blown tech revolution. Of course, this revolution then went on to scale up the human experience through some outright unique avenues, but even after achieving a feat so notable, technology will somehow continue to bring forth the right goods. The same has turned a lot more evident in recent times, and assuming one recent discovery shakes out just like we envision, it will only propel that trend towards bigger and better heights moving forward.

The researching team at Princeton University has successfully developed a method, which is conceived to spot both big and small gas leaks for timely prevention. According to reports, the stated method is made up from a laser-based sensing approach that makes a promise of accurately detecting and quantifying both large greenhouse gas leaks and leaks up to 25 times smaller than those typically detected at natural gas facilities. But how will the whole thing work on a more practical note? Well, under the designed structure, we have a small drone outfitted with only a retroreflector, a mirror type that reflects incoming light directly back to the source, alongside a base station of gas sensing equipment with the capability to track the drone’s movement during flight. Once you bounce a laser beam off the drone as it flies to set points where the leak is suspected, it allows the operator to go ahead and pinpoint the source of leak, while also handing them a chance to measure its intensity and deliver an appropriate response. Notably enough, considering it leverages a combination of lasers’ remote-sensing capabilities and drone’s innate agility, the technology even has the potential to detect otherwise unseen leaks in hard-to-access areas.

“Current approaches for detecting leaks often rely on handheld infrared cameras that are labor-intensive to operate and insensitive to small leaks, or they use methods that require setting up extensive measurement infrastructure ahead of time,” said Gerard Wysocki, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “But with a drone, you are completely free in how you are able to set up your sensing area.”

Fair enough, rather than going the usual route of mounting a gas sensor directly onto a drone, Princeton’s researchers eliminated the entire burden by offloading sensors to a base station, which on its part, can be accommodated in any small and compact space, such as a van. The reduced load on sensors also made it viable to use small less expensive drones with longer flight times and collect highly detailed emissions data across large areas.

At present, the method is expected to be used mainly for methane leak detection, but given its flexibility, the researchers are hoping to achieve a much wider application in the near future.

“The most exciting thing is not simply the methane sensing abilities of the technology we developed,” said Wysocki. “It’s really about unlocking the capability for researchers and practitioners to use drones and other remote sensing techniques to take detailed measurements of small leaks and reconstruct emissions plumes. It’s a technology that opens the doors for efficient leak detection and repair, which can help producers mitigate the safety and environmental hazards of those leaks, while also saving them time and money.”