Some people think this “Internet of Things” malarkey is a load of crap, and if you check out Parsons Grad Student Leif Percifield’s M2M initiative http://dontflush.me, you would be literally correct.
Of course, we say that in jest, because Percifield’s initiative is actually quite a revolutionary one, with potentially big implications for ecology and clean living.
When you want to talk about sewage, the best place to start is New York City, and that’s exactly where Percifield is based, on the murky shores of Brooklyn.
Some 27 billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped in NY Harbor every year, as a revolting consequence of runoff flooding from the Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) that open when the sewer system fills up after heavy rains.
Enter Percifield and his “Don’t Flush Me” project, which helps measure the water level at a CSO in order to predict when an overflow is imminent.
Percifield reckons that if people knew that their incessant flushing was about to dirty up their waterways, they’d grow a social conscience for a few hours and hold it in. Or at least, hold on the flushing. Yes, even though they’re selfish New Yorkers. Percifield is a man of much faith.
So how to know if the contents of your toilet is about to end up floating around in the harbor, along with other undesirables dumped in the Hudson? By using your cell phone or twitter account, of course! Percifield has devised a little M2M system with an Arduino (Open-Source electronic prototyping platform) connected to his handset.
A proximity sensor in the sewers measures the water level at the CSO and transmits the data, via the cell phone, to a database. That information can then be shared to all users of the system, either via SMS, Twitter, or even a wittily named “Bulbino” – a light bulb installed in one’s house that changes color based on the data received.
At the moment, Percifield’s vision of having NYC’s millions hooked up to the system is still a bit of a pipe dream (pun intended), but he believes that with the right investments from the right people, his idea could rapidly travel upstream.
According to his website, the first priority is deploying more sensors, each of which costs over $40/month for data plans and batteries, which we’re assured is not a waste. Anyone interested in donating, can do so HERE.
Next step for our sewage rat Percifield is to persuade everyone in one building using the service with a Bulbino, in order to provide enough data to create a mashup using a new tool from the NYC DEP that allows building water use to be tracked on a daily basis. That would let Percifield know if his idea is sink or swim.
Personally, we really hope it works out for him, because if the system works and millions start using it, Percifield could just save his city from a very smelly, toxic situation indeed.
(Via Pachube)
