Wireless Sensors Reduce Flooding in Indiana City

An article at Government Technology, "Wireless Sensors Reduce Flooding in Indiana City," describes a system that uses actuation to divert rainwater run-off to unused portions of the sanitary sewer system in South Bend, Indiana.

The system, called CSOnet, is a "cyber-physical system" because it integrates computation with control, said Michael Lemmon, University of Notre Dame professor of electrical engineering. It watches and alters its own world, similar to how a traffic controller monitors traffic congestion and orchestrates light timing. "Probably what's unique about this is it includes actuation, so that we're actually controlling something," Lemmon said.