Press | XOP Física

A sensor to economize water in irrigation

Mediterráneo diary, 6th May 2008

Most of the installed automatic irrigation systems in the fields base the irrigation planning in timetables for atmospheric data, such as rain, wind or temperature. Very few of them have sensors that can read directly the hydric state of the soil. Till now, there was not a reliable and economically viable method in the market to analyse the water availability in the land and control the supply. But a group of researchers from the Universitat Jaume I has devised a humidity sensor for the land that beat this
technological deficit. Their project was awarded with the ‘Investigació del Consell Social de la Universitat Jaume I’ prize in I+D+i. The prize included to publish a book that was presented yesterday by the Consell Social president, Rafael Benavent, and by the vice-chancellor of the Universitat Jaume I, Francisco Toledo, in the Castellón Book Fair. Benavent trusted this technological project will increase the efficiency in the water use in the fields, gardens and golf courses.

Francisco Fabregat, lecturer at the Universitat Jaume I, explained that the project started in 2000 with the creation of a patent to try to produce a tool that allows controlling the irrigation and save water, because during centuries farmers have irrigated in a fixed way and with the introduction of the new systems becomes easy to know the irrigation of the soil. Since no one wanted to risk exploiting the patent, the researchers adventured in trying to prepare an applicable sensor. Fruit of the research, a new technological-
base company was born, which has been boosted by the Consell Social prize.

Xop Física and Elektrosol get CEEI-Impiva 2006 awards

Mediterráneo diary, 21st September 2007

The Small and Medium Industry Valencian Institute (Impiva) and the Innovative Companies European Centre (CEEI) from Castellón, chaired by Diego Basco, awarded yesterday the prize to the Best Business Project developed in 2006 to the technological-base company Xop Física S.L., for the development of humidity sensors for the soil or as rain detectors to stop the irrigation programming.

Xop Física prize is framed within the 2006 CEEI-Impiva Prizes, financed by Impiva with the amount of 4,000 €. The
business career of Elektrosol S. L., dedicated to the study, installation and maintenance of the required technology to use solar energy in domestic and industrial processes was also recognised.

Xop Física gets CEEI-Impiva Prize to the best business project in 2006 in Castellón

Las Provincias diary, 21st September 2007

Technological-base company, Xop Física, specialised in humidity sensors for the soil manufacturing, was awarded yesterday with the Best Business Project in 2006 Prize, given by the Small and Medium Valencian Industry Institute (IMPIVA) and the Innovative Companies European Centre (CEEI) of Castellón. 2006 CEEI-Impiva prizes, given yesterday in Castellón, also recognised the business career of Elektrosol Company, dedicated to the study, installation and maintenance of the required technology to use solar energy in domestic and industrial processes.

Natural Intelligence

El Mundo Castellón al Día diary, 6th April 2007

Three doctors in physics from the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) have patented a humidity sensor for the optimization of irrigation, whose main innovation lies in taking into account the humidity conditions of the soil, that is, if it has rained, it is cloudy or the sand is dry enough.

Humidity sensor is
focused to decrease the irrigation water consume in whatever application, from agriculture to greenhouses, gardens, golf courses, etc. In fact, the sensor has started to be used in a golf course in Castellón province.

Patent inventors and Xop Física promoters, a spin-off company of the UJI, are the doctors in physics Germà García Belmonte, lecturer, Juan Bisquert, professor, and Francisco Fabregat, doctor contracted professor, all of them belonging to the Physics Departement of the UJI.

Humidity sensor for the irrigation optimization project consists on the development of a whole irrigation control system that provides information about the hydric requirements of the plants, in base both to the environmental data and to the sand humidity conditions, where lies the main contribution. p>