SENTURION

Developing high-resolution, non-invasive acoustic diagnostics for batteries - From lab concept to certified product.

SENTION TECHNOLOGIES

SSR Engineering partnered with Sention Technologies at pre-seed, when the founding academic team was establishing their vision to develop non-invasive diagnostic techniques for electrochemical devices. In today's energy transition, the ability to interrogate battery health, safety, and performance without teardown is critical—understanding internal degradation, defect formation, and remaining useful life directly impacts EV reliability, manufacturing yield, and circular economy viability.
The team had already demonstrated in-lab proof that single-point ultrasound imaging of pouch-cell lithium-ion batteries could extract meaningful internal information. This was important, because conventional non-invasive approaches—lab-based X-ray CT or synchrotron facilities—demand specialist equipment, high cost, and limited accessibility.
Ultrasound offers an elegant alternative: a scalable, cost-effective method that any manufacturer or operator could deploy without access to premium infrastructure. Within a year and with limited funding, Sention scaled from early IP development through rising TRL levels to a field-proven, CE-certified product ready for customer deployment.

SSR Engineering brings deep imaging and electrochemical experience spanning lab X‑CT, synchrotron X‑ray, neutron imaging (including 4D neutron CT of fuel cells), thermal imaging, plus published work on dynamic acoustic response of lithium‑ion batteries. This foundation enabled rapid translation from an academic proof‑of‑concept to robust, commercial R&D in acoustic imaging.

FIRST PROTOTYPE ITERATION

The initial challenge was transforming Sention's manual, single-point ultrasound measurement into a repeatable, automated platform. The first prototype engineered a step-wise scanning system capable of acquiring dense acoustic data across the cell surface at controlled XYZ intervals.
Aggregated signal data produced 3D acoustic maps - time‑window selection of the signals exposed features consistent with known internal battery structure - including defects and inhomogeneties, matching X-CT studies.

DATA + SENTINEL CLOUD

With automation established, focus shifted to fundamental research on acoustic signal behaviour. A comprehensive testing programme investigated mutliple sensor types, cell formats, chemistries, state‑of‑charge sweeps, cycling to end‑of‑life, and cross‑references to existing X‑CT datasets.  Three core questions drove the work:

• Does acoustic mapping reveal internal battery structures?

• Does that internal signature change during cell cycling and degradation?

• Can the state of charge be determined by just scanning the battery?

A secure cloud environment (Sentinel Cloud) was built to organise, visualise, and correlate acoustic and electrochemical data in a unified environment.

MACHINE LEARNING

As manufacturer interest grew and trials multiplied, data volume accelerated rapidly. Maria, a talented data scientist, was brought into the team to distil this expanding dataset into actionable intelligence. Maria developed machine learning models trained on the acoustic signatures, then validated performance on held-out test data and inference runs on unseen cells. Early results were promising: the models reliably detected changes in internal structure correlated with cycling and end-of-life progression, and identified C-rate as a significant variable affecting acoustic response (as expected). While more data would always strengthen the models, the initial findings proved the core concept—acoustic imaging could unlock critical battery diagnostics possibly without needing electrochemical instrumentation.

Renders of the Senturion product

R&D insights directly informed hardware and software refinement. Customer trials drove a simplified UI, allowing operators to follow intuitive on-screen workflows without specialist training. Early prototypes used acrylic exoskeletons for rapid iteration; these were upgraded to protective metal housings to safeguard against rare but possible catastrophic cell failures. Key capabilities included:

• 2 s/pixel acquisition and 0.1 mm XYZ resolution

• QR code ID and automatic cloud upload (getting ready for battery passports!)

• Interchangeable ultrasound transducers and onboard imaging for pre‑scan records

• Improved ultrasound coupling

• Anti‑crush safeguards and upgraded metal exoskeleton

• Exploration of contact and non‑contact acoustic modes

Prototype units ran continuously at Sention HQ to accelerate model training, with a clear target: estimate state‑of‑charge and state‑of‑health—and ultimately remaining useful life—from a single acoustic scan.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

This engagement showcases SSR Engineering’s end‑to‑end support—from early TRL to certified product—advancing non‑invasive, in‑situ diagnostics that make electrochemical technologies safer, cheaper, and more reliable. Our ongoing mission is to expand diagnostic toolkits for fuel cells, electrolysers, and batteries, accelerating global adoption and better utilisation and efficiency of electrochemical power.

CUSTOMER TRIALS + PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

With the first customer secured for the Senturion scanner, SSR Engineering supported final engineering, technical documentation, and conformity assessment to achieve CE marking. The transition from prototype to certified product marked a critical milestone.

Sention Technologies- Ultrasound imaging of electrochemical devices

Sention is a UK battery diagnostics company that uses ultrasound imaging and proprietary software to see inside cells and deliver fast, non-destructive diagnostics across the battery lifecycle.
They have recently secured £3.7million in seed funding to further commercialise their technology and reach high-volume environments.

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