Drinking Water Quality Sensor System (Dr. Watsen)

Impact Technologies, in cooperation with Dr. Lynn Fuller of Rochester Institute of Technology, with oversight from SFA's Defense Products Division (DPD) who produce the Tactical Water Purification System (TWPS) for the military, proposes to develop a MEMS based sensor platform that integrates several key water quality tests into a single chip. These tests are pH, free residual chlorine, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), and biological contaminants. This system will provide soldiers in the field with real-time monitoring of their water supply to guard against disease and toxic agents. Key tasks for Phase I include: 1) Finalizing sensing technologies to measure desired parameters, 2) Designing and producing prototype MEMS chips, 3) Packaging prototypes for testing - developing supporting electronics to perform signal conditioning and data analysis, 4) Determining metrics of successful system operation based upon currently accepted standards of water quality monitoring: characterizing the MEMS sensor performance 5) Comparing MEMS system performance to that of commercially available water monitoring systems and sensors 6) Identifying and integrating necessary system modifications to meet Army goals for the Phase II effort. 7) Determine the path towards deployment as part of productization for potable water systems in Phase II and beyond.