The proposed project will design, produce, and exhaustively test a prototype for the precise automated monitoring of three-dimensional fracture movements. The three stages of the project each has its own intermediate objectives and deliverable milestones. The first year will comprise the pre-production design stage (design brief, analysis, research, specification, problem solving, design solutions). Its primary objectives are to automatise the outdated manual instrument according to the agreed design brief and reappraise the most suitable moiré patterns for use in the glass plates. By the end of this stage the applicant will have designed a prototype for the precise automated monitoring of three-dimensional fracture movements and also developed the software needed to interpret the recorded data. The second year will comprise the design during production stage (development a testing). Its primary objectives are to optimise the prototype and its software and to exhaustively test the prototype and software under stringent laboratory conditions. The design of the prototype may be modified according to the results of this testing. By the end of this stage the applicant will have produced prototype ready for field testing. The third year will comprise the post-production design feedback stage (implementation a evaluation). Its primary objective is to exhaustively test the prototype and software under the wide range of field conditions that may be encountered by potential end-users. The design of the prototype may be modified according to the results of this testing. By the end of this stage the applicant will have produced a prototype that is ready to be introduced to the market. It is intended that the prototype and its software will be protected by the appropriate intellectual rights (e.g. industrial design, utility model, possible patent). The final product will be marketed for professional use in material science, civil engineering, and across the geosciences.