Collaborative Research: SitS: Collaborative: Long Range Wirelessly Powered Multi-variable Sensor Network for Continuous Monitoring of the Soil Health

该奖项是通过“土壤中的信号(SITS)”征集，这是美国国家科学基金会和美国农业部国家粮食和农业研究所(USDA NIFA)之间的合作伙伴关系。迫切需要开发廉价的、可长期部署的传感器，这种传感器可以实时监测可变的土壤条件。了解控制土壤健康的参数对于管理植物的生长和生产力以及维持土壤健康极其重要。与新传感器相关的最大问题之一是提供运行传感器所需的电力，特别是如果它们打算长时间埋藏的话。该项目旨在开发一种多模式集成传感器系统，该系统可以完全埋在土壤中15厘米或更深的地方，用于实时监测土壤气体流动，如二氧化碳、氨、氧气和一氧化二氮，提供有关土壤和植物健康的信息。传感器运行所需的所有电力以及来自传感器的信号通信将使用穿透土壤(TTS)电力传输技术提供，其中电能通过土壤传输，不需要电线、表面天线或嵌入式电池。使用TTS电力传输，可以在不干扰日常农业作业的情况下，为农田永久安装传感器。分析收集的数据将提供与土壤健康相关的关键见解。田纳西技术大学、田纳西诺克斯维尔大学和纽约州立大学布法罗分校的研究人员参与的这一合作项目将产生新的知识和工程技术，将提高农民在作物生长周期中做出更好决策的能力。仅这一影响就将减少浪费，提高作物产量，并最终为国家及其农民带来更大的经济收入。该项目的目标是开展研究，以开发下一代现场、联网、多模式测量系统，用于在不同的空间和时间段内连续和不间断地监测土壤变量。现代的低成本土壤监测系统是离散的，不能检测pH以外的土壤化学变量。第一个项目的目标是开发一种传感器系统，分析在生物过程中排出的气相分析物，以表征土壤健康。该多模式传感器系统利用三个正交物性组合成单一平台来实时检测具有高化学选择性和灵敏度的分析物蒸气。第一和第二物理性质使用受体固定的微悬臂阵列来预浓缩和检测质量变化。第三种正交法使用相同的阵列，使用光热偏转光谱(PDS)来识别吸附气体的分子同一性。这些化学特性独特、极其灵敏、高度紧凑的传感器将与传统的土壤传感系统集成在一起，这些系统可以检测水分、温度和pH，以创建多传感探头。第二个项目的目标是使用TTS电力传输技术为传感器系统供电，该技术能够将能量从电源传输到大范围内的多个多传感器探测器。其目的是为传感器系统提供稳定、不间断的电源，以实现不需要维护且不受干扰的传感器连续运行。无线传输将通过在无线电频率上激励传播的非辐射脉冲传导模式来完成。第三个项目目标是分析来自无线供电的多传感器探测网络的数据，以便建立所需的预测算法，以表征土壤健康并做出关键的生长决策。该项目的研究目标将在扩大对土壤健康的理解方面产生变革性的作用，并导致更好的环境实践和提高农业生产。项目期间发现的数据和知识将对科学、工程和工业的许多领域产生深远影响。这项工作的成果包括：(1)历史上第一次在景观大小的区域内高时空密度地实时收集特定的物理化学数据；(2)展示了一种全新的景观区域无线电力传输方法。这样的工程成就不仅将对土壤科学和农业产生革命性的影响，还将在其他领域，包括可再生能源、电力分配和国家安全。这一合作研究项目由工程局的化学、生物工程、环境和运输(CBET)部门、数学和物理科学局的化学(CHE)部门、计算机和信息科学与工程局的信息和智能系统(IEE)部门以及极地计划办公室共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award was made through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" solicitation, a collaborative partnership between the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). An urgent need exists for developing inexpensive, long-term deployable sensors that can monitor variable soil conditions in real-time. Understanding the parameters that control the soil health is extremely important in managing the growth and productivity of plants as well as in maintaining soil health. One of the biggest issues associated with new sensors is delivering the power needed to operate the sensors, especially if they are intended to be left buried for long periods of time. This project aims to develop a multi-modal integrated sensor system that can be completely buried 15 cm or deeper in the soil for real-time monitoring of soil gas flows, such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, oxygen, and nitrous oxide, that gives information about soil and plant health. All the electrical power needed for the sensor operation, as well as the signal communication from the sensor, will be delivered using a through-the-soil (TTS) power transmission technique, where electrical energy is sent through the soil, eliminating the need for wires, surface antennas, or embedded batteries. Using TTS power transfer, an agricultural field can be permanently instrumented with sensors without interfering with daily farming operations. Analyzing the collected data will provide key insights related to soil health. This collaborative project involving researchers at Tennessee Technological University, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and State University of New York at Buffalo will produce new knowledge and engineering techniques that will enhance the abilities of farmers to make better decisions in the growing cycle of crops. This impact alone will reduce waste, improve crop yield, 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-modal measurement systems for continuous and uninterrupted monitoring of soil variables over variable space 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 is to develop a sensor system that analyzes the vapor phase analytes outgassed during biological processes that characterize soil health. The multi-modal sensor system utilizes three orthogonal physical properties combined into a single platform to detect the analyte vapors with high chemical selectivity and sensitivity in real-time. First and second physical properties use arrays of receptor-immobilized micro-cantilevers to preconcentrate and detect mass changes. The third orthogonal method uses the same arrays to discern the molecular identity of adsorbed gases using photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). These chemically specific, extremely sensitive, and highly compact sensors will be integrated with conventional soil sensing systems that detect moisture, temperature, and pH to create a multi-sensing probe. The second project goal is to power the sensor system using the TTS power transmission technique capable of transferring energy from an electrical power source to a plurality of multi-sensing probes over wide landscape scale 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 and is not susceptible to interferences. The wireless transmission will be accomplished by the excitation of a non-radiating pulsed conduction mode of propagation at radio frequencies. The third project goal 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. The research goals of this project will be transformative in broadening understanding of soil health and lead to better environmental practices and enhanced agricultural production. The data and knowledge uncovered during the project will have profound impacts in many areas of science, engineering, and industry. The outcomes of this work include: (1) A historical first in real-time collection of physiochemical specific data in a high spatial and temporal density over a landscape size area and (2) Demonstration of a completely new method of wireless electrical power transmission over a landscape 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, and national security.This collaborative research project is co-funded by the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport (CBET) Division in the Engineering Directorate, the Chemistry (CHE) Division in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Information and Intelligent Systems (IEE) Division in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and the Office of Polar Programs.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.