GOhydro D2.4 - Integrated Multi-modal Sensor
Eleni Makarona, Niklas Galler, Pythagoras Karampiperis · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2022
One of the main technical objectives of the GOHYDRO project is the development of a Multi-modal Sensor Kit (MMSK) capable of monitoring at pre-determined intervals the environmental factors affecting the hydroponic cultures of microgreens, the quality of the water feeding the plants as well as the nutrient content of the microgreens. This kit has as a main task to collect information about the cultivation conditions and the quality of the microgreens and communicate the relevant information to the e-agronomist mobile application that will notify the user about the health of the crops and provide suggestions about necessary condition arrangements. Towards that end the MMSK is divided into 3 major components: (1) the Crop Heath Sensor Kit (CHSK) responsible for monitoring the temperature, humidity, light intensity at the installation as well as the electroconductivity and pH of the water in the tank (indicating the quality of the watering), (2) a photonics-based kit that will determine the nutrient content of the microgreens through their pulps (Nutrient-content Kit, NCK)., and (3) the communications and storage unit (CSU) that stores and transmits the data collected by the kits to the GOHYDRO data-driven platform. The MMSK is developed through a dedicated work package (WP2), which has received input from WP1 “Nutrient and environmental needs for microgreens” with regards to the specific parameters that must be monitored for a successful hydroponic installation. This deliverable is the description of the prototype of the Integrated MMSK and is the first targeted outcome of Task 2.4. Even though the actual deliverable D2.4 is a DEMONSTRATOR, this report is an accompanying explanatory document describing the main activities that led to the integration and a concise summary of the various components and design aspects of the MMSK. This version is an intermediate one due to small deviations from the foreseen workplan. The deviations were due to 2 reasons: (1) the delay in funding of NCRS-D and SCiO which has put a corollary delay in the procurement of kits components and of the 3d-printer required for the fabrication of the housings, (2) the more rigorous design constraints of the kits’ housings that became evident during Tasks 2.1-2.3; the consortium has opted to delay the fabrication in favor of a better design, which can meet all the stringent requirements of a hydroponic installation, but which at the same time can be produced in a DIY manner. The delays are expected to be quickly absorbed within the next 3 months of the project without affecting the final outcomes. All relevant design specifications and requirements were covered in D2.1 “Multi-modal Sensor Kit Specifications and Requirements” (M3), the design details in D2.3 “Crop-health kit prototype” (M12) and the preliminary results of the high-risk photonic component in deliverable D2.2 “Nutrient-content kit prototype” (M12). All these achievements are briefly re-visited in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 analyzes the fabrication iterations of the CHSK, while Chapter 3 presents the updated design and fabrication details of the CSU. Chapter 4 shows the current version of the NCK, which will pave the way for the final NCK design and fabrication. The deliverable is completed with a summary of the conclusions in Chapter 5.