AquaML – Artificial Intelligence to analyze water usage

Jul 13, 2018

Using the latest Artificial Intelligence technology, breakthrough innovation specialist Cambridge Consultants is bringing unprecedented insight into residential and industrial water usage.

This first of its kind technology, named AquaML, combines state-of-the-art machine learning technology with a single, low-cost pressure sensor. The simple, trained system can differentiate between different water-using devices being used in a home or premises, generating water usage data from each, and providing the “data disaggregation” that utilities and building service managers have long demanded. AquaML further demonstrates Cambridge Consultants’ talent for moving machine learning beyond research and into real-life, physical projects that can impact millions of lives.

Water is a hugely valuable commodity but its scarcity is increasing in many regions of the world, and the problem will only worsen. The OECD project that world water demand will increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050[1], and by 2060, Singapore’s total water demand could almost double. Singapore is at the front line of water innovation, and has become a globally renowned hub for technology partnerships as it seeks to guarantee its own water security.

One of the central challenges facing the water industry is in understanding exactly how water is being used once it has been delivered to customers’ premises. Access to detailed usage information will unlock new insight, helping utilities to plan for future demand. Improved measurement will enable greater control, while waste from leaks, drips and misuse can be detected and minimized to improve efficiency. All of this is made possible by a single sensor and cutting-edge machine learning algorithms.

Cambridge Consultants is at the cutting edge of advances in machine learning, applying these transformative technologies to a wide variety of industries. The water industry is one of many that are ripe for disruption. AquaML combines a single pressure sensor and a sophisticated machine learning algorithm. When water flows through a pipe to supply an outlet it creates a unique detectable pressure profile that the machine learning algorithm first learns and then uses to identify water usage from separate devices, for example from taps, washing machines, showers or toilets. AquaML records the volume of water used and even produces a real-time display of the water usage by outlet. Previously, the only way of gaining this usage data was to install sensors at each device, perhaps hundreds, which would be both expensive and complex to maintain.

Data generated by AquaML allows a water utility company to understand how water is used within individual households. Beyond simply knowing how much water an apartment block uses, a utility can now break down that usage by showers, toilets and individual sinks.

“Water is a precious resource and must be harnessed in the most sustainable and efficient way possible,” said Wang Bin, VP Industrial and Energy, Cambridge Consultants. “By applying the latest machine learning technology, in a completely new approach, we can provide detailed insights into precise usage of water on a scale that has never before been viable.”

[1] https://www.oecd.org/env/indicators-modelling-outlooks/oecdenvironmentaloutlookto2050theconsequencesofinaction-keyfactsandfigures.htm

Notes to editors

About Cambridge Consultants and Capgemini

About Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, services and intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology-critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 60 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of more than 800 team members, including engineers, scientists, mathematicians and designers, in offices in Cambridge (UK), Boston (USA), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore, Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, digital health, energy and wireless communications.

About Capgemini Invent
As the digital innovation, design and transformation brand of the Capgemini Group, Capgemini Invent enables CxOs to envision and shape the future of their businesses. Located in nearly 40 studios and more than 60 offices around the world, it comprises a 10,000+ strong team of strategists, data scientists, product and experience designers, brand experts and technologists who develop new digital services, products, experiences and business models for sustainable growth.

Capgemini Invent is an integral part of Capgemini, a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 325,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of €18 billion.

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Visit us at www.capgemini.com/invent

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