PFI:AIR - TT: In-Situ Wireless Soil Sensor for Moisture, Salinity and Ions

这个PFI: AIR技术翻译项目的重点是将农业土壤传感器开发研究转化为农业土壤性质时空变化的精确监测。所提出的土壤传感器的开发非常重要，因为它们可以实现对农业生产中土壤湿度、盐度和养分的实时、就地监测，从而实现精确的养分管理。这个项目将产生一个可行的设计/原型的原位土壤传感器的农业应用。这种土壤传感器具有独特的功能，当部署在支持无线交互的地下电网配置时，它可以实时测量上述土壤特性。目前的传感系统不支持持续的原位监测，还需要人工操作，而拟议的系统是一个全自动的解决方案，能够持续的原位监测和无线传输。该项目解决了从研究发现到农业土壤传感器商业应用的技术差距。具体来说，在这个项目中，将测试和评估传感器原型，使用基于电介质的湿度/盐度传感和电泳硝酸盐传感封装信号处理和无线能力，用于地下部署。此外，参与该项目的人员，即两名博士生，将通过土壤传感器开发和评估研究获得创新和技术转化经验，定期参与与爱荷华州知识产权和技术转让办公室就披露和专利进行互动，并进一步与农业领域行业就许可、技术转让和商业化进行互动。该项目聘请韦伯微波公司作为产品设计，开发和商业化经验的顾问，以增强团队的研究能力，并指导商业化方面的技术转化工作，从研究发现到商业现实。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating agricultural soil sensor development research into accurate monitoring of spatio-temporal variation of soil properties of agricultural interest. The development of the proposed soil sensors is important because they can enable the real-time, in-place monitoring of soil moisture, salinity, and nutrients in production agriculture, thus enabling precise nutrient management. This project will result in a feasible design/prototype of an in-situ soil sensor for agricultural application. This soil sensor has the unique features that it can measure the soil properties mentioned above in real-time when deployed in an underground grid configuration with support for wireless interaction. Current sensing systems do not support continual in-situ monitoring and also require manual operation, while the proposed system is a fully-automated solution, capable of continual in-situ monitoring and wireless transport.This project addresses technical gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application in soil sensors for agriculture. Specifically in this project, sensor prototypes, using dielectric-based moisture/salinity sensing and electrophoretic nitrate sensing packaged with signal processing and wireless capability for underground deployment, will be tested and evaluated.In addition, personnel involved in this project, namely the two PhD students, will receive innovation and technology translation experiences through soil sensor development and evaluation research, regular participation in interactions with the Iowa State Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer for disclosures and patents, and further interactions with agricultural domain industries for licensing, technology transfer and commercialization.The project engages Microwaves by the Weber, Inc. as a consultant with experience in product design, development and commercialization to augment the team's research capability, and guide commercialization aspects in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality.