Modern industry and regulators are pushing for more precise monitoring of industrial emissions—from methane leaks in oilfields to hazardous VOCs in refineries. The urgency is understandable: fossil-fuel operations are estimated to have emitted nearly 120 million tons of methane in 2023, and cutting these emissions by 75% by 2030 is deemed vital for climate targets. At the same time, air-quality rules are tightening. (For example, U.S. refineries must keep annual benzene concentrations at fencelines below ~9 µg/m³).
Meeting these goals requires sensor systems with laboratory-grade resolution and reliability, capable of detecting minute gas leaks or trace pollutants in real-time. The challenge is that many of the most advanced sensing techniques—laser spectroscopy, optical frequency combs, ultra-fast RF measurements—have traditionally been confined to labs. Scaling these high-resolution methods for harsh field deployment is a formidable engineering task. This article looks at how researchers are tackling this challenge, and how embedded instrumentation is enabling the transition from prototype to scalable monitoring systems.
Precision sensing meets the emissions challenge
New optical and laser-based sensors are changing gas monitoring. Old detectors like flame-ionization units were slow, imprecise, and sensitive to interference. Modern laser-based analyzers can lock onto specific gases, improving both selectivity and sensitivity. For instance, a portable methane detector now resolves concentrations as low as 0.7 ppm using targeted laser absorption, eliminating the need for flames or calibration gas. Other technologies like cavity ring-down and dual-comb spectroscopy—once limited to labs—are now proving themselves in the field. A laser-based roadside sensor in Europe launched as an EU-co-financed project in 2019, identified high-polluting vehicles by analyzing exhaust acoustics in real time. These cases show a clear trend: techniques once too complex for field use are now delivering real-world insights with lab-level accuracy.
The hard truth of field deployment
Making sensors field-ready is not simple. Temperature swings, dust, vibration, and interference all affect sensitive optics and electronics. Systems must be sealed, shielded, and thermally stabilized. Power and communications need to be rugged and autonomous. Adapting lab systems for outdoor deployment means redesigning the full data pipeline, not just the sensor. Real-time compensation, filtering, and robust enclosures are essential. These adaptations allow precision systems to survive—and stay accurate—on pipelines, production sites, and in mobile use.
Embedded instrumentation: Bridging prototype to product
What makes this possible is the rise of compact, embedded platforms for data acquisition and signal processing. Unlike bulky lab racks, these systems integrate fast analog I/O, FPGA control, and software-defined flexibility in one deployable unit. Red Pitaya’s boards, for instance, combine high-speed analog-to-digital converters, lock-in amplification, real-time feedback control, and onboard processing in a compact format. This combination enables precise synchronization and robust control in sensing environments where noise immunity and reconfigurability are essential.
A real-world example of this in action is LongPath Technologies, which uses dual-comb spectroscopy to monitor methane across large areas. Their system sends laser beams from a central tower to passive mirrors, forming optical “fencelines” over oilfields. Each beam forms a long open-air path (often kilometers long), allowing a single laser unit to monitor dozens of well pads simultaneously by analyzing laser light reflected from passive retroreflectors. With a detection threshold as low as 10 standard cubic feet per hour, the system delivers accurate, continuous data across entire facilities. This sensitivity enables the detection of even small leaks that might otherwise go unnoticed with conventional handheld or thermal imaging devices.
To make this work in the field, LongPath adopted a Red Pitaya board as the core data engine. Its compact footprint, real-time FPGA processing, and reliability in harsh conditions helped transform their Nobel Prize-winning laser concept into a scalable monitoring platform. According to the company, the Red Pitaya STEMlab board acts as the system’s fast-feedback controller for laser stabilization, enabling real-time signal processing under field conditions. Its small footprint and rugged performance helped convert a Nobel Prize-winning dual-comb lab setup into a scalable, commercial platform.
Within a year, LongPath grew from pilot sites to commercial operation across dozens of facilities. Each system now covers up to 20 square miles, and the Red Pitaya architecture helped LongPath scale deployments 10× within a year by providing a compact, reliable embedded solution.
While LongPath’s dual-comb system is one of the most scalable methane monitoring platforms on the market, they’re not the only company tackling this challenge. Competitors such as Bridger Photonics and GHGSat offer aerial and satellite-based methane detection, while companies like Picarro specialize in mobile ground-based sensors. LongPath stands out because it takes a different route: a centralized, ground-based laser network that relies on passive mirrors instead of drones or aircraft. That design enables continuous, site-wide coverage with high resolution and at comparatively low cost.
Towards ubiquitous high-res monitoring
As emissions standards tighten, high-resolution sensing is moving out of the lab and into industry. Studies show that a small number of leaks can produce the majority of emissions, which is a strong argument for widespread, continuous monitoring. By combining laser and optical sensing with flexible embedded systems, developers are now scaling solutions that once existed only on research benches. With the proper instrumentation, precision sensing can operate reliably in the field: catching leaks sooner, improving compliance, and helping industries cut emissions at scale. As the competitive field grows - with aerial LiDAR from Bridger Photonics and orbital sensors from GHGSat - ground-based, mirror-network systems like LongPath offer a complementary model that emphasizes persistent, on-the-ground resolution.
Crt Valentincic is CTO of Red Pitaya which he co-founded in 2013. The Slovenia-based company builds single-board computers used by NASA, Apple, Siemens and others.