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Herrera and Hartzog testing their smart sprinkler system.<\/p>\n\u201cWe saw products that were out there that were kind of doing the same thing we were wanting to do, sort of like a robotic sprinkler head, and they were just really expensive,\u201d Hartzog said. \u201cThe engineer in me gets annoyed when I see sort of a luxury technology that\u2019s prohibitively expensive when there\u2019s got to be a low-cost way to do it. So, it was kind of a chip-on-the-shoulder motivation to see if it was feasible or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irrigation technology is often outdated, and the industry hasn\u2019t seen many advancements in recent years. Herrera and Hartzog\u2019s idea for Pinpoint Irrigation looked to reimagine a system that was long overdue for innovations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rather than a traditional irrigation system, which has sprinklers spray in a circular pattern that often overlaps, Pinpoint works with a robotic sprinkler head that traces out an area\u2019s boundaries and changes its spray distance as it rotates, spraying water only where it\u2019s needed. A technologically advanced sprinkler head like theirs also allows for the introduction of sensors that can measure data, such as hyperlocal climate data about the environment they\u2019re placed in. The sensors will also help users track issues in real time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Herrera and Hartzog testing their smart sprinkler system.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the commercial level, if something goes wrong \u2013\u2013 which, with thousands of sprinklers something goes wrong once a week \u2013\u2013 companies usually only retroactively find it,\u201d said Herrera. \u201cWhat if there\u2019s a leak between the sprinklers? They retroactively find it while it\u2019s just losing water. Our idea is with the sensor fusion and our sprinkler, you get precision and you get infrastructure protection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two are hoping to use solutions they\u2019ve found for irrigation to help improve larger water infrastructure issues, such as large-scale leaks. One solution is a new technology being developed at UT in the Cockrell School of Engineering. Current doctoral student Yuanjun Fan has been working in professor Michael Cullinan\u2019s lab on a project using mechanical sound waves to transmit data \u2013\u2013 something that would be a low-cost, durable solution for communicating underground. The technology could communicate crucial data instantaneously, like the size and location of leaks, something that\u2019s not currently available.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe status quo of technology cannot penetrate through solid surfaces at all,\u201d explained Hartzog. \u201cWhat\u2019s innovative about this is that it\u2019s using acoustic signals. Like whale cries that can travel for miles and miles \u2013\u2013 this is a similar thing. You\u2019re essentially screaming through a really solid, dense medium where traditional light waves can\u2019t get through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The device is about the size of an AirTag and can measure metrics such as soil moisture to ensure plants and grass are getting enough water without overdoing it. The product is currently still in laboratory testing, but both Herrera and Hartzog know that\u2019s what it means to be at the forefront of innovation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Herrera (left) is Pinpoint Irrigation\u2019s CEO, while Hartzog (right) is the CTO.<\/p>\n