Sonicu Improves Incubator Monitoring With New Monitoring Device

New monitoring sensor adds to Sonicu’s growing portfolio of monitoring capabilities. 

GREENFIELD, Ind. - Researchers and life science professionals seeking an affordable, intuitive environmental monitoring solution that includes CO2 monitoring for incubators can now turn to one of the most trusted names in temperature and environmental monitoring. 

Sonicu is introducing a new incubator monitoring device that plugs seamlessly into the already robust monitoring system, which includes temperature monitoring as well as humidity and air pressure differential. 

“Our customers have long relied on Sonicu to connect with third-party sensors to capture CO2 data and leverage our Sonishield software for alerts and reports,” said Jason Young, Chief Technology Officer, Sonicu. 

“With this new incubator sensor, Sonicu customers will enjoy even lower costs and the same plug-and-play simplicity they’ve come to expect from Sonicu in all monitoring applications without the hassle of having to source a CO2 sensor from a third-party.” 

The sensor will include the ability to monitor: 

• CO2 with a range of 0-25 % and accuracy of 0.5  + 3% Measured Value
• Humidity with a Range of 0-100% and accuracy of  +/- 3% RH
• Temperature with a range of -10-80 °C and accuracy of  +/- 0.4 °C

The new incubator sensor is the first of many new monitoring devices Sonicu is slated to launch in the coming months. 

Founded in 2008 and serving more than 550 customers across North America, Sonicu is a national leader in the temperature and environmental monitoring industry, helping close to 20,000 regular users stay more closely connected to their critical assets and environments. 

The Indiana-based firm is developing a new slate of monitoring sensors and probes in response to customer requests for affordable, intuitive data-collection devices across a diverse range of environments. 

Laboratory and life science leaders are seeking more monitoring options and a wider range of price points amid increasing regulatory oversight.

“The demand for affordable sensors that capture more conditions and integrate seamlessly into our software is growing rapidly as more life science and research professionals adopt cloud-based, continuous monitoring to protect their work and automate often tedious regulatory compliance reporting,” said Joe Mundell, Chief Revenue Officer, Sonicu. 

“We’re committed to listening to our customers and developing new solutions that help them save time and money while adopting best practices for temperature and environmental monitoring.” 

The new incubator monitor will deliver the same value as Sonicu’s entire monitoring technology platform, including: 

• Best-in-Class Hardware Warranty: Never buy a replacement device if you’re under a software subscription*
• Unlimited Users: Connect everyone in your lab, department, or entire agency at no additional cost 
• U.S.-based phone support: Always available to help you stay connected 
• Mobile app expertise: Simple configuration with an install wizard, and monitor all your assets from your smartphone
• Phone call alerts: The Sonicu alarm is the call you’re glad to get at 2 a.m. 

The incubator monitor is the latest in an innovative line of developments for Sonicu, including the release of the new SoniShield Duo communicating meter in 2021 and an improved ambient temperature and humidity sensor. 

Sonicu also released its Data Concentrator earlier this year, offering facility managers the opportunity to integrate Sonicu’s temperature and environmental monitoring data directly into a Building Automation (Management) System.

Affordable Protection for Valuable Research 

Many environmental monitoring platforms measure a wide range of parameters, including CO2, temperature, and humidity, using accurate, reliable sensors. 

But not all probes and sensors meet Sonicu’s high engineering standards, which include backing from an industry-leading warranty program and multiple layers of redundancy. 

The powerful redundancies built into the system also include DataSync, which captures data locally in the event of a power or network outage and re-syncs to the cloud upon reconnection. 

The communicating meters also include a backup battery that can continue transmitting for up to a year without primary power. 

“Our system is engineered to take into consideration all the horrible 'what ifs' that we’ve heard from customers over the years. The sort of things you hope never happen, but should be ready for nevertheless,” Young said. 

“There’s a lot of unpredictability and uncertainty that we’ve tried to hedge against with redundancies 

Sonicu assembles all of its probes and sensors in Indiana and delivers them with professional installation and regular, done-for-you NIST calibration. 

Monitoring systems like Sonicu’s are typically used within laboratory and life science applications that require independent monitoring, such as incubators. 

With 24/7 data collection stored in the AWS Cloud, the data can be used for regular monitoring and compliance requirements, as well as for real-time alarms when defined parameters are breached. 

Sonicu delivers alerts and alarms via text, e-mail, push notifications, and even phone calls. 

“Phone calls may seem old-fashioned until your phone wakes you up at two in the morning, warning you of a temperature or CO2 breach that threatens your research,” said Mundell. “Our customers get those calls, and then call us the next day to thank us for waking them up and protecting their work.” 

Sonicu has designed its platform to support the vital work of maintaining a stable environment within laboratory incubators, ensuring optimal cell growth and demonstrating traceability in line with regulatory requirements. 

Affordable and Trusted Incubator Monitoring 

One of the most essential pieces of hardware for producing and researching biopharmaceuticals is the CO2 incubator. 

Incubators are leveraged for cell culture processes in a host of applications, including

• Antibody production
• Tissue engineering 
• Viral vaccine research
• Reproductive technologies 
• Cell and gene therapies
• Toxicity studies

Incubators replicate the environmental conditions of cells in a living body (in vivo) to enable successful cell growth in media within the chamber (in vitro). 

Culturing cells requires optimal media conditions and an incubator. 

If batches are not cultivated under controlled conditions, the results may not be reproducible, diminishing the value of the research and wasting valuable time and resources. 

Modern incubators operate as complex systems and often require third-party monitoring systems to validate their highly sensitive readings. 

In cases where a cell culture fails to proliferate, several avenues of troubleshooting should be considered. 

However, the first point of failure in cell cultivation is often the incubator conditions. 

While many incubators may automatically adjust conditions based on the incubator’s sensor readings, those measurements may not be accurate. 

Unless an incubator is recently installed and properly validated (or recently serviced and re-qualified) — and assuming the service includes calibration and adjustment of the integrated sensors — relying on the incubator’s sensors increases risk. 

Sonicu: American-Made Hardware, Software, and Support 

There are many options for laboratory directors and researchers when considering an incubator monitoring system. 

Factors, including how and where the devices were assembled and how and where they will be supported after installation, are important considerations. 

Final assembly and testing of all Sonicu devices take place at its Indiana headquarters, while all support services are provided from our Greenfield, Indiana, office. 

Any customer with any number of monitoring devices can call our support center during normal business hours and speak with a product expert who has helped scores of other customers with similar issues. 

All customers enjoy access to Sonicu Academy, where free, unlimited, on-demand training is delivered 24/7.