NASA has developed wireless sensor technology is giving recreational boat owners safer and more accurate readings of how much fuel is in their tanks.
The NASA-developed magnetic measuring system also has potential use in planes, trains and automobiles.
Originally developed by NASA to retrofit aging aircraft with safety equipment, the technology is a spinoff for designing and using sensors without the shortcomings of many commonly-used liquid storage measurement systems.
Traditional marine fuel-gauge float systems can provide inaccurate readings because of a boat’s movement. A vessel’s pitch and roll in open waters can create a “seesaw” effect on fuel gauges. This new wireless fluid-level measurement system has two stationary pieces of conducting material located in the fuel, connected to an inductor on the outside of the tank.
Another aspect of the wireless fuel-level sensor system is the design can be modified to detect water, a concern for recreational boaters. It also can be modified to detect other non-fuel liquid contaminants in a tank. While this particular system is for a marine application, it could be modified for other uses.