Scaling up the FINAPP Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing probe.

Project Information

finapp cosmic ray neutron sensing

Grant agreement ID: 190124200

DOI

10.3030/190124200

Project closed

EC signature date 16 August 2023

Start date 1 August 2023

End date 31 July 2025

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

€ 2 969 246,25

EU contribution

€ 2 078 472,38

Coordinated by

FINAPP SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - finapp cosmic ray neutron sensing (Scaling up the FINAPP Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing probe.)

Reporting period: 2024-08-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The water present in the soil and in the snow represents extremely sensitive data for various sectors. Monitoring soil moisture is crucial in agriculture to irrigate efficiently, save water and costs, and obtain a healthier and more abundant harvest. It is also important for fire and hydrogeographic instability simulations. The snow water equivalent is a crucial parameter for water availability forecasting for spring/summer and for hydroelectric power production. The ability to measure soil moisture in depth even in urban environments are a disruptive opportunity in the pre localization of leaks along aqueducts. The Cosmic-ray-neutron (CRNS) sensing technology, thanks to the great advantage to measure water in large scale, in depth without any contact with the soil could address all the problematic in a very disruptive way. Finapp make CRNS easy, compact and with a competitive price to make a complex and expensive technology like CRNS available for everyone. It will ensure a unthinkable water management solution at 360° from agriculture to water reservoir management and finally for localization of water leaks.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first year, the probe was further engineered to reduce its complexity, production cost and size. Silicon Photomultiplier was inserted to make the instrument more resistant, smaller and easier to produce on a large scale. Artificial intelligence algorithms were introduced to reduce noise and increase the efficiency of the instrument, as well as a technological upgrade of the electronic board to make the instrument easier to use by everyone. The technological upgrade obtained were unthinkable until a few years ago, making an extremely complicated technology like CRNS accessible to everyone.

During the second year, we have launched two dedicated portals focused on precision agriculture and water loss management, named Fin4Crop and Fin4Leaks, respectively. These platforms are designed to provide our customers with easy access to essential information—specifically, when and how much to irrigate in the context of agriculture, and where water losses are occurring.
The first generation of Finapp probes equipped with SiPM technology has been successfully tested in the field, and a series of refinements have been implemented to enhance the solution. These developments have been promoted through a comprehensive communication campaign, both online—via the launch of a new website and an improved presence on social media—and offline, through participation in trade fairs and major international events

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Making the CRNS technology easy-to-use in agriculture is one of the two major goals of the ongoing project. In this second year of the project, we conducted field testing of the new generation of Finapp probes featuring SiPM technology, thanks to the collaboration of our early adopters. A significant achievement has been the reduction in both the size and weight of the device, alongside lower production—and therefore marketing—costs. These improvements are crucial for the integration of our solution within the agricultural sector. The agreement signed with Bauer, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of irrigation systems such as center-pivot and rainger machines, stands as a testament to the quality and reliability of our work.

The second strategic focus is the detection of water losses. The enhanced reliability and compactness of our instrument enable greater measurement precision, while further reducing costs and facilitating the global deployment of our solution. At present, we are able to reduce the time required for leak detection by one-third and the cost by half compared to the best existing market solutions, making our technology highly disruptive. The speed of detection is such that it may shift the current paradigm: rather than investing in the repair of individual leaks, the same budget could be allocated to the replacement of entire segments of the most deteriorated pipelines, enabling a more precise and significantly faster modernization of water distribution networks.

Soil moisture rover map on the left, prototype on the tractor on the right. Final version will be sm