A prototype device that detects tiny fluctuations in gravity has been built. The team at the University of Glasgow said that such devices did already exist, but are bulky and expensive. This device, known as a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gravimeter, has the potential to be very cheap and a 1 -Watt field prototype around the size of a tennis ball is being developed. Applications in engineering could include down-borehole exploration; environmental monitoring where networks of sensor arrays could monitor subsurface water levels, or determine the location of landfill sites; tunnel detection; improved mapping of existing utility asset locations.
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