SMART WIRELESS SENSORS FOR THE OUTDOOR AREA

We live in an information age. We are busy managing data to make processes more efficient. Smart sensors play an indispensable role in this, and Insyte Technology is a company that has seized the opportunity. Co-founder Viresh Bhansing talks about their innovative solution.

It was not always the goal to develop wireless sensors for outdoor areas. Viresh met his co-founder during their studies at HAN. “He was always tinkering with new inventions, like clapping your hands to turn on the light,” Viresh remembers. So they started an electronics service company but soon felt the need for more focus. The idea arose to focus on developing wireless sensors. Viresh: “In the projects that came along, the basics were often the same: always connected to the internet, always the technical side of the sensors, and always the power supply with a battery. The development would start from scratch every time, which takes a long time and is expensive. We thought we could do it smarter and developed a modular hardware and software platform. This makes the tailor-made sensors available more quickly, cost-efficient, and more accessible. Thanks to our platform, we are now slowly transitioning from a service company to a product development company.”

Efficiency boost

The developed sensors can make life easier in various ways. “For example, we see that there is a great need to measure the filling level of grain silos, or, for example, containers for chemicals,” Viresh outlines. “Collecting waste can also be a lot more efficient with smart sensors. When you know exactly when a waste container will be full, you can adjust your logistics planning accordingly instead of letting trucks drive for half-full containers. This not only saves time but also personnel and ensures CO2 reduction.” The sensors can also increase efficiency in other situations. “We recently did a project for a farmer with apple and pear trees. Our sensors measure the temperature and moisture in the soil there. This is valuable information so the farmer knows where and when to irrigate the crops. By improving efficiency in that process, he can harvest more crops of better quality and use water consciously. The platform is incredibly versatile, so we look at what is needed per project and respond accordingly.”

Organizing ideas

There were a lot of good ideas at Insyte Technology for the company's further development. To help them choose a course, they enlisted the help of business developer Jorieke Adolfsen. Viresh says: “We naturally started as a service company with a lot of great ideas. That's what Jorieke went for. She helped us validate the platform so we could take the next step. She knew that we also had to keep our business running, so she did not send us back to the drawing board but helped us immediately put the theory into practice. That pushed us in the right direction.”

Solving social issues

What is that direction? “We are now working on bringing more products to the market, but we are also looking ahead,” Viresh explains. “In ten years, we want the platform to be a success story and that we can use it to solve social issues quickly and efficiently,” says Viresh. “We are increasingly moving towards a digital world. How can we ensure that the world remains livable and that we can, for example, improve care for older people? We make it possible to take that step with our platform. Our solution also allows smaller companies to apply advanced sensors cost-efficiently and on a small scale, meaning that creating change is also possible for smaller companies. Our ambition is to continue growing so we can focus on those social issues. That's what really gives us energy.