Using fiber optic sensors to predict landslides.

This is one of the latest studies from the University of Second Naples (Italy), in which scientists have utilized fiber optics to create a system for monitoring slope structure, aiming to provide early warnings of landslides and reduce damage to people and property.

Landslide. (Photo: Gizmag)

Speaking at the recent American Optometric Association conference in Arizona, Professor Luigi Zeni – the lead researcher – explained that the system consists of a network of interconnected sensor modules, each housed in a plastic tube containing fiber optic sensors. These modules are buried along slopes over areas that can span several square kilometers. Once the soil structure changes, the tubes and fiber optic sensors become twisted.

Scientists can assess the overall stress on the mountain slopes by simply looking at the torsion of the modules, and from that, predict the risk of an impending landslide.

According to experts, the new system has the advantages of being more durable, less expensive, and more accurate than the motion and slope sensors currently used to predict landslides.

According to khoahoc.com