SBIR Phase I: Low-cost Communication, Sensing, and Prediction for Precision Agriculture

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发低成本、低功耗、长寿命的无线传感器网络，用于高密度部署，主要用于精准农业。市场上现有的解决方案包括带有笨重电池的传感器模块和由太阳能电池板驱动的中继器，这推高了成本。这些电池和中继器不适合大规模部署。该项目旨在提供可持续的解决方案，以提高农业作业的准确性和效率，同时最大限度地提高作物产量并降低运营成本。拟议的传感器网络还可以作为野外军事监视、森林火灾预测/缓解和智能高速公路的解决方案。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目建议使用射频（RF）通信的唤醒接收器，同时也使用射频通信进行湿度传感。这种唤醒接收器和基于射频的传感的使用减小了节点的尺寸和成本，并实现了网状网络。该项目的研究目标包括评估这种网络，以及确定在不同土壤条件和介电常数变化下部署在土壤内的无线传感器节点的可行性和可靠性。实验的结果将是一套集成电路（ic）和精确农业中密集网络部署所需的网络规范。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop low-cost, low-power, wireless sensor networks with long lifetimes for high density deployments in the field, primarily for precision agriculture. Existing solutions in the market consist of sensor modules with bulky batteries and repeaters driven by solar panels which drive up the cost. These batteries and repeaters are infeasible for large-scale deployments. This project aims to provide sustainable solutions to increase the accuracy and efficiency of agricultural operations, while maximizing the crop yields and minimizing operational costs. The proposed sensor networks may also serve as a solution for military surveillance in the field, forest-fire prediction/mitigation, and smart highways.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes the use of wake-up receivers for radiofrequency (RF) communications, while also using the RF communications for moisture sensing. This use of wake-up receivers and RF-based sensing brings down the size and cost of the nodes and enables mesh networking. The research objectives of the project include both evaluation of such a network and the determination of the feasibility and reliability of wireless sensor nodes deployed inside the soil across varying soil conditions and permittivity variations. The outcome of the experiments will be a set of specifications for integrated circuits (ICs) and networks required for a dense network deployment in precision agriculture.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.