PoolSense: set to change the face of pool maintenance forever
Technews Industry Guide: Industrial Internet of Things & Industry 4.0
News
The automatic pool cleaner changed the face of pool cleaning forever, but maintaining the quality of the water has remained a difficult and expensive task. PoolSense is about to change this. An unobtrusive device that floats in the pool and regularly samples and transmits the quality of the water now delivers simple dosing instructions to an app running on the user’s smartphone. It is a simple and effective solution to an age-old problem, designed to save pool owners both time and money.
The technology
The PoolSense device continuously measures temperature, pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP), and regularly transmits this data to the cloud. From there, the data is continuously run through a self-learning algorithm that effectively understands how each pool responds to the addition of chemicals as requested by the app. This allows continuous refinement of the decisions around just how much acid and chlorine must be added to keep water condition optimal at all times.
Dave Wibberley, managing director of Adroit Technologies and a founding member of PoolSesnse designer Pro Automation, explains: “The Internet of Things, combined with low power networks like Sigfox, has enabled this development. We could finally get to a price point that makes a device like PoolSense affordable to everyone who owns a pool. In the future, it will not be a ‘nice to have’ device for techies, but we believe every pool owner will have one. It pays for itself through the cost saving on chemicals, and takes away the hassle of manual measurements and the guesswork associated with the quantity of each chemical that must be added to maintain a perfect pool all year round.”
Pro Automation technical lead Heinrich Heesen adds: “The IoT and cloud computing allowed us to tackle the problem on a large scale and develop a better understanding of the chemistry and performance required for a cost-effective solution. A system like this requires a multi-disciplinary approach and the efficiency of the Sigfox network allowed us to add a global communication capability and still meet the design criteria for a 2-year (minimum) operating life for this innovative new instrument.”
The product has won accolades from the Innovation Hub and also made the finals of the 2018 MTN IoT Awards, which take place in September. For further reading please go to: https://www.dataweek.co.za/62170n
For more information contact Kevin Herbert, Pro Automation, +27 82 605 8260, [email protected], www.poolsense.net
Further reading:
Helping mines get results from water improvements
News
South African mines operate under constrained, water-scarce conditions where every investment must be justified. Xylem’s Chetan Mistry explains how the right water technology partner helps mines prioritise high-value water systems across the mining lifecycle.
Read more...
From solar to water, onsite plants are the next big industrial resilience shift
News
South African industrial operators who secured their energy supply with onsite solar generation now face the same imperative with water. Robert Erasmus of Sanitech argues that onsite water treatment is the next essential pillar of business continuity.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Pushing engineering to the limit
Technews Publishing
News
Among the many things robots can do, it’s a lot of fun to follow how fast they are. They go from the Boston Dynamics cheetah, which first reached a record-breaking speed of 45,5 km/h, to the robot Charlie
...
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme for energy and industrial tech startups.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Sustainable solutions for sugar
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
News
BMG received a Special Commendation Exhibition Stand Award at the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress, where it showcased an integrated turnkey drive solution designed to simplify the upgrading of ageing crushing-mill drive systems.
Read more...
Measure, Manage, Maintain: The operating model behind SA’s water resilience
Siemens South Africa
News
South Africa’s growing water crisis is putting pressure on infrastructure, municipalities and the economy. Siemens highlights how digital technologies, smarter operations and safe water reuse could help shift the country from crisis response towards a more resilient and sustainable water future.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme.
Read more...
RX Africa and Messe Muenchen India join forces to strengthen business platforms in Africa
RX Africa
News
Messe Muenchen India has announced a strategic partnership with RX Africa to strengthen the scale, reach and market impact of its premier co-located trade fairs, analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa, ahead of their 2027 editions.
Read more...