Technical reports: Liquid presence sensing

Household Liquids Detection

At LAIIER we have carried out a series of tests for our Severn sensors to show their performance for a range of liquids and setups. Here we present a technical report for the Severn sensor when in contact with different household liquids.

Household liquids

Measuring the response of the Severn sensor to a range of household liquids:

  • Liquid soap
  • Acrylic paint
  • Alcohol hand sanitizer

 All are water-based so were predicted to be detectable.

Procedure

Setup for measuring the response of household liquids on the Severn sensor

A micropipette was used to dispense around 0.04 ml of each liquid onto the Severn sensor and volumes were increased until detection.

The Severn sensor was connected to the Severn board in order for serial data to be collected. All liquids were dispensed at ten seconds.

Results and findings

  • All items (soap, paint and hand sanitizer) could be detected with a significant drop in sensor reading.
  • Alcohol hand sanitizer can be distinguished with a slightly smaller change in reading
Graph showing household liquid detection on the Severn sensor

Conclusion

Liquid soap, acrylic paint and alcohol hand sanitizer can all be easily detected by the Severn sensor.