Sensors monitor temperature and humidity around plants

2 types of plastic sensors and autonomous activities developed by Saudi Arabia engineers can be used to collect wireless data about plant growth status as well as temperature and humidity around plants. .

According to npj Flexible Electronics, Saudi Arabia engineers have developed two types of plastic sensors and autonomous operations that can be used to collect wireless data about plant states as well as temperature and humidity. around plants. One of the two sensors is adapted for use from unmanned aircraft or other flying devices.

Temperature and humidity sensors on the leaves - (Photo: npj Flexible Electronics).

It is known that the growth rate of plants depends directly on the state of the environment, including temperature and humidity. There are already systems to monitor these parameters and some of them can also automatically interpret data and help increase the intensity or frequency of watering. However, these sensors are quite expensive and difficult to install. set or have other disadvantages.

A group of engineers headed by Muhammad Hussain at King Abdullah's University of Science and Technology has developed two different sensors that all allow monitoring the impact of environmental factors on real development. object.

One of them is a sensor for monitoring the width of the trunk, including a 190 nanometer thick gold and titanium metal film, placed in a polydimetylsiloxane polymer (PDMS), transparent. In order for each plant not to be connected by wire to the most system, engineers created a small control and power supply unit for the microcontroller, with Bluetooth module for data transfer and 256 kilobytes of memory for storage. Store with lithium-ion batteries, enough for about 150 days. The control unit can be placed at the base of the tree and attached to the sensor by wire.

In addition to sensors that monitor the stretch of the trunk, engineers also develop sensors for humidity and temperature like the shape of butterflies, without a definitive need to fix them to the trunk that can be placed on branches and leaves and is connected to the controller and feed source. The structure of these sensors can be stowed after being printed on a 3D printer. In the folded state, the structure has a hexagonal hollow base, easy to place sensors and controllers, and when launched from drone, the controller spreads out 6 small wings to land on the leaf surface. and trees.