Flood detection and monitoring have made a leap forward with the Flood Frog, a new device developed by University of Missouri-Rolla researchers.

Most monitoring solutions are expensive and face major challenges, such as maintenance costs, inconsistency and power requirements. UMR researchers hopped to develop a solution and created a novel monitoring system that is less costly, more dependable, and more flexible than what is currently available.

The Flood Frog is an autonomous system that's based on a wireless network and inexpensive sensor nodes. The "frog" provides a dramatic reduction in equipment and installation costs because a variety of embedded sensors can monitor everything from temperature to water tilt. The device then communicates using the GSM/GPRS mobile phone network and can send to a number of recipients through text messages, email, and FTP file.

Inside a waterproof case, the frog is powered by a battery that has a typical, unattended lifespan of three to four years. The battery can last a tad longer with a little fine tuning, too.

** No animals were harmed in the making of these puns (although the groans probably sound a little croakey).

Via the University Transportation Center at UMR (PDF).