EAGER SitS: A Multi-Sensor Probe Network for Continuous Monitoring of the Soil Health

EAGER SitS：用于连续监测土壤健康的多传感器探针网络

• 批准号: 1841458
• 负责人: Forbes Walker
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-10-01 至 2021-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1841458&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; SitS; Multi; Sensor; Probe

Understanding the micro-organism community within soil is extremely important for managing the growth, health, and productivity of plants in managed and unmanaged fields. Existing sensors used to monitor the soil are not capable of measuring the micro-organism activity in a low-cost, continuous, and spatially dense manner. This project will address this issue by initiating collaborative, exploratory research between three academic institutions (Tennessee Tech University, SUNY at Buffalo, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville) on a network of multi-sensor probes that are placed across fields in multiple locations and wirelessly powered by a novel electromagnetic technology. The project will provide for continuous and uninterrupted monitoring of soil parameters at many places in the field that indicate soil microbial activity and how it changes over time. This research will produce new knowledge and engineering techniques that will enhance farmers' abilities to make better decisions about precision management of crops that could reduce amounts and costs of inputs and apply only what is needed by crops and soil to maintain soil health. This impact alone will reduce waste, improve crop yield, reduce environmental contamination, and ultimately generate greater economic income for the Nation and its farmers. The objective of this project is to conduct research toward developing the next-generation of in situ, networked, multi-sensor measurement systems for continuously and uninterrupted monitoring of soil variables over wide outdoor expanses and time periods. Contemporary low-cost soil monitoring systems are discrete and are incapable of detecting soil chemical variables beyond pH. The first project goal, conducted by the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY at Buffalo), addresses this issue by developing a sensor system that analyzes the volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by biological processes that characterize soil health. The sensor system utilizes an array of micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) cantilevers as an extremely small and selective spectroscopic transducer for detecting trace gas concentrations in the mid-IR optical region. These chemically specific, extremely sensitive, and highly compact sensors will be integrated with conventional soil sensing systems that detect moisture, temperature, pH, and conductivity to create a multi-sensing probe. The second project goal, conducted by Tennessee Tech University (TTU), addresses the issue of powering the sensor probe's electronics by continuing research on a wireless power transmission technique capable of transferring energy from an electrical power source to a plurality of multi-sensing probes over wide outdoor areas. The aim is to provide the sensor systems with a stable, uninterruptable source of power to achieve a continuous sensor operation that does not require maintenance or is susceptible to interferences. The wireless transmission will be accomplished by the excitation of a non-radiating Transverse Magnetic (TM) propagation mode at radio frequencies that allow the soil/air interface to act as a waveguide. The TTU researchers will explore an original concept where a dual above/below ground excitation method is utilized in order to maximize the waveguide effect. The third project goal, conducted by the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), is to analyze the data from the wirelessly powered, multi-sensor probe network in order to build predictive algorithms needed to characterize soil health and make critical growing decisions. Together, the research goals of this project will be transformative in broadening our understanding of soil health; leading to better environmental practices and enhanced agricultural production. Beyond soil health, the wireless power transmission research will achieve two very important scientific and engineering outcomes: (1) Demonstration of a completely new method of wireless electrical power transmission over a large area. Such an engineering achievement will not only have a transformative impact in soil science and agriculture, but in other fields including renewable energy, power distribution, national security, etc. (2) Advancement of our understanding of electromagnetic (EM) propagation physics by experimentally confirming the existence of the Zenneck Surface Wave over a natural earth surface.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解土壤中的微生物群落对于管理管理和非管理领域中植物的生长、健康和生产力至关重要。现有用于监测土壤的传感器无法以低成本、连续和空间密集的方式测量微生物活动。该项目将通过三个学术机构（田纳西理工大学、布法罗纽约州立大学和田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校）之间的合作和探索性研究来解决这一问题，该研究涉及一个多传感器探针网络，这些探针被放置在多个地点的多个领域，并由一种新型电磁技术无线供电。该项目将提供对田间许多地方土壤参数的连续和不间断监测，这些参数表明土壤微生物活动及其随时间变化的情况。这项研究将产生新的知识和工程技术，提高农民在精确管理作物方面做出更好决策的能力，从而减少投入的数量和成本，并只施用作物和土壤所需的投入，以保持土壤健康。这种影响将减少浪费，提高作物产量，减少环境污染，并最终为国家和农民带来更多的经济收入。该项目的目标是开展研究，以开发下一代原位，网络化，多传感器测量系统，用于连续和不间断地监测广泛的室外面积和时间段的土壤变量。当代低成本土壤监测系统是离散的，无法检测ph值以外的土壤化学变量。第一个项目目标由纽约州立大学布法罗分校（SUNY at Buffalo）实施，通过开发一种传感器系统来解决这一问题，该系统可以分析表征土壤健康的生物过程产生的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）。该传感器系统利用微机电系统（MEMS）悬臂阵列作为极小的选择性光谱传感器，用于检测中红外光学区域的痕量气体浓度。这些化学特异性，极其敏感，高度紧凑的传感器将与传统的土壤传感系统集成，用于检测湿度，温度，pH值和电导率，以创建多传感探头。第二个项目目标由田纳西理工大学（TTU）负责，通过继续研究一种无线电力传输技术，解决传感器探头电子设备供电的问题，这种技术能够将能量从电源传输到广泛户外区域的多个多传感探头。其目的是为传感器系统提供稳定、不间断的电源，以实现不需要维护或易受干扰的连续传感器操作。无线传输将通过在无线电频率下激发非辐射横磁（TM）传播模式来完成，该模式允许土壤/空气界面充当波导。TTU的研究人员将探索一种原始概念，即利用地上/地下双重激励方法来最大化波导效应。第三个项目目标由田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校（UTK）负责，目的是分析来自无线供电的多传感器探针网络的数据，以便建立预测算法，以表征土壤健康状况，并做出关键的种植决策。总之，这个项目的研究目标将在扩大我们对土壤健康的理解方面具有变革性；导致更好的环境实践和提高农业生产。除了土壤健康之外，无线电力传输研究还将取得两个非常重要的科学和工程成果：(1)展示一种全新的大面积无线电力传输方法。这样的工程成就不仅会对土壤科学和农业产生变革性的影响，而且会对包括可再生能源、电力分配、国家安全等其他领域产生变革性的影响。(2)通过实验证实自然地球表面上存在Zenneck表面波，提高了我们对电磁（EM）传播物理的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。