"Daily Drinking Water, Easy Quality Testing with IoT"

Kim Young-deok, CEO of The Wave Talk, Developed IoT Water Sensor
Detects Foreign Substances Like Bacteria by Amplifying Laser
B2C Product 'SenseCup' for Water Quality Measurement to be Commercialized in August

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] "Our goal is to become the startup that saves the most lives on Earth."

Treated tap water supplied undergoes the same purification process, but water quality can vary depending on the condition of household plumbing. It is difficult to visually confirm how many bacteria are present in the water we drink and use daily. This summer, an IoT water quality measurement device that can verify whether the water is safe to use will be commercialized.

Kim Youngdeok, CEO of The.Wave.Talk, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 8th, "Dirty water is more harmful to health than fine dust, but there are no safety measures in place, so there is a high risk of exposure to skin diseases, etc. The replacement cycle for plumbing or water purifier filters varies depending on the usage environment, but it was difficult to check. We have created a device that allows households to conveniently check daily."

The.Wave.Talk is an IoT sensor startup that measures water pollution levels through solutions that detect foreign substances such as bacteria in liquids. They are developing the 'SenseCup,' equipped with an IoT water sensor that can check the turbidity (cloudiness) of tap or purified water. When a glass filled with water is placed inside the SenseCup device, a laser analyzes the water quality and indicates whether suspended particles exceed turbidity standards. If the water quality exceeds legal standards, a red signal lights up, and turbidity can be checked via a mobile app.

SenseCup by The.Wave.Talk, winner of the Innovation Award at CES 2020

◆ Using Laser Amplification Technology to Check Water Quality and Bacteria = Existing turbidity meters cost from several million won to over 10 million won. CEO Kim plans to reduce the price by utilizing IT. He said, "Our technology uses light intensity and phase difference to identify the type of bacteria, so we can also determine which bacteria are the cause of infection." The SenseCup, targeted for release in August, will be sold to general consumers through crowdfunding platforms and Naver. They are also pursuing collaborations with home appliance companies to offer it as a rental service. Next year, a water purifier equipped with this sensor will be launched.

CEO Kim initially aimed to create sensors to measure water quality on factory production lines but changed plans. It took three and a half years to miniaturize the sensor. After overcoming numerous challenges, they received an Innovation Award at CES 2020 held this year. Kim said, "We invested a lot of money to install it in actual factories but failed, losing money, time, and people. However, seeing the potential, the researchers who joined us worked together, and through repeated development, we were able to create a small and affordable sensor."

◆ Three and a Half Years to Miniaturize the Sensor... Gaining Attention at CES = The.Wave.Talk was co-founded in July 2016 by Professor Park Yonggeun of KAIST’s Department of Physics and CEO Kim Youngdeok, with technology transferred from KAIST. CEO Kim previously researched lithium batteries at LG Chem Research Institute, founded a company producing ultra-small lithium-ion batteries, and after 14 years exited (sold) that company. This is his second startup.

CEO Kim said, "The bacteria issue remains an unsolved challenge for humanity, and since bacteria inhabit various places from drinking water to our bodies, I was confident that being able to test this more quickly would become a big business."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.