Our start-up ecosystem
VOCSens
–
Micro gas sensors
VOCSens has developed an environmental camera that reveals invisible gas molecules.
The result of more than 15 years of research in the university laboratories of UCLouvain and multiple collaborations (ELEN department, ICTEAM), the VOCSens spin-off is developing a new concept of environmental camera, EnviCam®, allowing to see the invisible, these chemical and biochemical molecules that surround us. The company has developed a manufacturing process, CMOSEnvi™, fully compatible with the CMOS technology found in the electronic chips of our daily lives.
Founded in February 2019, it is based in Louvain-la-Neuve at the European Business and Innovation Centre (CEI Louvain).
Objective
The aim is to commercialise its micro gas sensors in the chemical and petrochemical, recycling and smart city sectors by the second half of 2022. Five investment funds have joined in the financing: Industrya, Innovation Fund, VIVES IUF, W.IN.G (SRIW) and Invest.BW. They fully support VOCSens' mission to contribute to better environmental monitoring and safer and more efficient industrial processes.
Proposed solution
The company has developed multi-pixel sensors, such as those found in mobile phones, which convert signals related to the presence of gases into electrical signals, which are then converted into concentration values by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. These tiny sensors incorporate polymeric and nanocomposite materials that react differently to different gases. The process is patented.
Who is the proposed solution for?
(petro)chemistry, water purification and recycling, industrial safety, smart cities and buildings, disease monitoring, detection of rotten food in our fridges, etc.
The team
Thomas Walewyns — co-founder and CEO of VOCSens
Laurent Francis — scientific advisor & co-founder
Denis Flandre — scientific advisor
Salvatore Di Stefano — system and field engineer