France 2030 is a strategic investment of 34 billion euros by the French government, with the aim of boosting economic growth in the country.
As part of this initiative, the SIRCAPASS (Surveillance of Road Infrastructures by Passive Sensors) project has chosen French company SilMach to provide ultra-low-cost micro-sensors to monitor and ensure the structural health of bridges across the country.
The €1.7 million project aims to monitor road infrastructure using passive sensors, focusing in particular on collision detection, fatigue monitoring, exceptional overload and crack identification – all tasks that were previously performed manually.
Work effectively in harsh environments
Built around hybrid MEMS-micromechanical sensor technology, these microsensors can record critical structural events without a power source, potentially identifying hazards that could compromise a bridge’s structural integrity and hopefully ensure public safety.
“France 2030 marks a crucial step in the development of SilMach,” said co-CEO Pierre-François Louvigné. “We are proud to lead this public-private consortium with key actors capable of providing a technological solution for the security of the French people and our economy.”
Fellow co-CEO Jean-Baptiste Carnet added: “Everyone knows the human and economic costs of a bridge collapse. Our innovations are there to provide a new answer to a major social challenge.”
SilMach says its energy-free microsensor sensors work effectively even in harsh environments, including underwater and in space. With a communication module linked to an information system, the sensor can transmit critical data and provide a mechanical memory that guarantees access to raw data in a directly exploitable format.
