The project, with marine specialists PSM Instrumentation Ltd, aimed to re-engineer a ceramic transmitter to meet the exacting requirements of the marine sector, such as being able to operate in a hostile environment while maintaining reliability and accuracy, which is essential for safety.
Novel features, including wireless compatibility, being able to run on batteries, and energy-harvesting from external sources such as solar power, means the resulting product has successfully penetrated Far East markets.
Whilst shipyards are primarily attracted by substantial material cost savings, environmental benefits are significant with the average container ship saving 7-10,000 metres of cabling, equating to 5 tonnes of copper and 1 tonne of plastics per ship.