Finally, an inexpensive vibration sensor that signals blade problems

A cleverly simple vibration sensor made of a loop of thin fiber-optic cable and a fixed wavelength laser promises to take cost out of turbine-blade maintenance by letting owners spot problems as they occur. The device, already with two patents, won $150,000 for further development in New York’s PowerBridge competition. “This will let us form the start-up company, LazarOn, to package the sensor, mount it in a turbine, and prove the concept for the early detection of blade damage,” said Dr. Nikhil Gupta, technical lead for the company and Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.