b'Flow Sensor. Alert Labs, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthIn partnership with 1VALET, Snaile has developed a full solution Americas largest HVAC distributor, Watsco, Inc., reports thatto automate delivery verification and building access by the property management firms using Flowie have already savedcarriers. Major carriers, including Canada Post, UPS, FedEx and over a billion litres of water and reduced water costs by Purolator, can integrate their systems with a barcode scanner $1 million.outside the building to validate delivery. The 1VALET console opens the door to the carrier with the validated delivery, and they The product was developed after Alert Labs CEO and cofoundercan leave the package in Snailes self-serve automated smart George Tsintzouras suffered flood damage to a rental propertylockers. The resident is notified via app, email or SMS.while travelling on business, which drew his attention to the need for a technology that could remotely monitor flooding andThe system reduces risk of package mis-delivery, damage water leakage. or theft, while it increases efficiency for carriers and saves building operators the inconvenience (and potential fire code Flowie is a cellular water-leak detector that straps to the waterviolations) caused by stray packages dropped in public areas meter and sends alerts of power outages, unusual water usagefor later collection by recipients. Since Pitney Bowes estimates and other developments, making it easy for building managersthat parcel volumes are growing at 17 per cent to 28 per cent to track water wastage, reduce water bills and prevent potentialannually, the smart locker system is a timely solution that will damage. It fits a wide range of single and compound waterbenefit residents, carriers and building operators.meters and requires no cutting of pipe or changes to the meter, so installation does not require professional plumbing expertise. Flowie transmits data via the cell network, so it is not affected by power outages.Water costs have risen and will most likely continue to rise with a depletion of water resources in many parts of the world. Water leaks are an under-recognized but avoidable cost of building operation. Alert Labs estimates that Flowie can reduce water waste by 23 per cent, on average.Flowie is part of the growing world of the Internet of Things (IoT), which makes performance and maintenance data instantly accessible to property managers via smart sensors. It works in conjunction with Alert Labs suite of solutions that also includes automatic water shut-off, A/C monitoring and sump pumpTHIRD PLACEsensors that allow building operators to easily collect and act onNORCATdata to save money and protect property. FiARThe third-place honour goes to NORCAT of Sudbury for its revolutionary Fire Extinguisher Augmented Reality Training Simulator. Known as FiAR, it is the worlds first firefighting simulator to use AR (Augmented Reality). This lets users explore a fire in their own environment via an iPad mounted to the front of a real fire extinguisher.Other simulators simply project a fire simulation on a large LED screen or projection screen, but FiAR gives users the power to simulate a fire involving furniture, equipment, stored goods or any other feature of the space. Using NORCATs proprietary hardware and software systems, users can create custom scenarios involving different types of fires.SECOND PLACE The learner can then explore the space and when they identify SNAILE INC. an object on fire, they can approach it, select the appropriate Automated Building Access for Carriers & Resident Deliverytype of extinguisher for the type of fire, and follow the correct Smart Lockers procedure to put out the fire, exactly the way they would with a real extinguisher. The virtual fire will react to the firefighting In second place is Snaile Inc. of Huntsville, for its Automatedmeasures just like the fire that has been programmed intoBuilding Access for Carriers and Resident Delivery Smartthe scenario.Lockers. As online shopping makes up an increasing share of the retail market, there is growing pressure on consumers andThe FiAR training simulator differs from every other fire carriers alike to ensure packages reach their destinations safely.extinguisher simulator currently available on the market. The Pitney Bowes estimates that Canada Post only handles aboutenthusiasm and need for this type of technology has already 22 per cent of all deliveries, so most cannot be left in dedicated,been demonstrated: within its first month of its release, demand keyed postal boxes. for the FiAr quickly surpassed the available supply.BUILDERSDIGEST Quarter 4 201921'