The Versatile Cable That Tells A Tale

38 A new pressure-sensitive cable with important security possibilities, developed as part of a British naval research project, is about to open up a whole range of mili- tary, industrial and domestic applications. Vibetek, the new sensing cable, incor- porates a rugged piezoelectric polymer that allows it to respond directly to applied pressures, impacts, stress and strain, vibra- tion and even sound. Compared to tradi- tional piezoelectric sensing devices, using single crystals or microchip thin films that are limited to sensing at a single point location, Vibetek provides continuous sensing along cable runs of over several hundred meters. It also offers a much more sensitive response, is robust and competitively priced. The new cable may be used simply to replace exist- ing pressure-sensitive lines in, for example, traffic moni- toring applications, where it can be buried just below a road surface in order to count the number of vehicles pass- ing over it. Its high sensitivity ...