Dive Brief:
- Walabot, a handheld imaging device from Israel-based Vayyar Imaging, uses low-power radio frequency to detect objects enclosed in a wall cavity, Engineering News Record reported.
- The device can identify materials such as wood, PVC, wire and even small rodents and insects through concrete and wallboard.
- Currently for use with Android phones, the scanning device is the same scale as common mobile phone products. It comes with a cable to link the device and a mobile phone, as well as a companion Android app.
Dive Insight:
Vayyar’s isn’t the first wall scanner to give builders and remodelers a look inside the wall cavity — which can be helpful before cutting into the wall to avoid damaging critical infrastructure like PVC plumbing pipe or electrical wiring.
In 2013, DeWalt debuted a cordless handheld scanner that changed the game for stud-finders by using radio waves to determine what kind of material is inside the wall, and where. Vayyar’s sensors take this capability to a more accessible mobile platform: the smartphone.
Thermal imaging company Flir has also taken its technology to smartphones. The company offers hardware for iOS and Android phones that turn them into thermal imaging devices. By showing differences in temperature throughout a space, according to Remodeling magazine, users can spot the location of objects in the walls and ceiling. A companion allows for easy sharing of thermal images and videos.
Vayyar is selling an off-the-shelf tool including a smartphone case, sensor chipboard and app in addition to selling the sensor kit separately for those looking to build on the system.
