image: Wavelogix CEO and Purdue University professor Luna Lu holds the REBEL Concrete Strength Sensing System, which her lab invented to improve estimates of in-place strength of concrete structures. Wavelogix, founded by Lu, has received a $999,910 SBIR grant to develop the technology.
Credit: (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Wavelogix, a manufacturer of novel, patented concrete strength sensors invented at Purdue University’s College of Engineering, has received a $999,910 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP).
The grant covers a two-year project scheduled to end Aug. 31, 2026.
Luna Lu, Purdue’s Reilly Professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and Wavelogix’s founder, invented the REBEL Concrete Strength Sensing System. The technology enables faster, data-driven decisions through real-time concrete strength monitoring.
“Built on the success of a Phase I SBIR project, this TIP-funded project will develop a complete solution for scaling up production,” Lu said. “A systematic hardware production and quality control procedure will be established, and key parameters for a reproducible production line will be determined.”
Concurrently, Wavelogix is developing a scalable cloud back end capable of serving tens of thousands of data loggers while ensuring data security and low latency.
“The machine learning algorithm is being refined to provide fast and accurate strength inferences,” Lu said. “A full-scale production and stress testing of the sensor system in real-life conditions are also being conducted to evaluate the robustness and user experience.”
Lu said the Wavelogix REBEL concrete strength sensors have the potential to transform the construction industry.
“Short term, this technology will allow accelerated project timelines and eliminate costly quality control errors,” she said. “Long term, it will leverage the power of big data to enable data-driven decision-making and optimization of concrete mix design, which will drastically reduce carbon footprint, eliminate wastes and lead to more durable concrete infrastructures.”
Lu is already thinking about how future breakthroughs will impact the company’s technology.
“By leveraging AI and big data analysis of the vast amount of structural health data collected, the project paves the way for the development of AI-powered solutions for predictive maintenance and improved construction practices,” she said.
In 2022 Wavelogix received a $255,996 Phase I SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation to develop its technology. The company received a $3 million investment from Rhapsody Venture Partners in June.
Lu disclosed the sensor system to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which applied for the patent to protect the intellectual property and licensed it to Wavelogix.
Wavelogix milestones
Wavelogix’s sensor system has garnered national industry recognition.
In July, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Committee on Materials and Pavements approved it as a new national standard for estimating when newly poured concrete is mature enough to withstand heavy loads such as those from trucks and other vehicles.
In April, Wavelogix received a 2024 Edison Awards gold honor for critical human infrastructure. The sensor was also on Time’s Best Inventions of 2023 list, and Fast Company magazine named this invention one of its Next Big Things in Tech for 2022.
The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure selected the technology as one of its “Gamechangers” for the year.
About Wavelogix
Wavelogix is a Purdue University spinout that has developed a proprietary Internet of Things sensing and data analytics platform for infrastructure quality testing. Its award-winning sensing technology provides real-time measurements of in-place concrete strength, allowing construction engineers to make accurate, data-driven decisions about materials selection, scheduling, budgets and resource allocation.
About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization
The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2024, the office reported 145 deals finalized with 224 technologies signed, 466 invention disclosures received, and 290 U.S. and international patents received. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.