Austrian university TU Wien has announced the development of a sensor that can measure the strength of electric fields. The designers claim the new device has a leg up on similar devices, being smaller, streamlined, and less likely to distort. Numerous industries need accurate and reliable measurements of electric fields, including meteorology, high-voltage power line management, and process control on industrial equipment. Though the technology is still in prototype phase, TU Wien is excited to share more details on the project.
Current technology for measuring electric fields carries with it a raft of downsides. The devices can take on an electric charge in their metal components, meaning there’s a potential for wildly inaccurate results.[1] If a device has to be grounded prior to measurement, these inaccuracies can become even more of a problem.
Their new device utilizes a double-grid structure and a silicon-based sensor, allowing for the micro-size and hyper-accurate results. This new solution is far easier to transport than conventional tools, and early tests show parity with current devices with a much smaller and simpler design.[2] So far, the new sensor only measures the strength of a field, and not its direction, but designers are TU Wien expect to see far more potent and accurate measurements as the project matures.
