Arooj Zulfiqar

Sensor-driven technology can boost socio-economic development and improve a country's global competitiveness in emerging economies. Sensors are tools that gather information from the environment and replace it with a signal that both humans and machines can recognise. Sensors play an important role in creating solutions using the internet of things (IoT).

The NUST's School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (SEECS) has developed an IoT-based smart sense device to measure storage conditions.  Dr. Shahzad Younis, Principal Investigator at NUST- SEECS, who developed the smart sense device, told WealthPK that it is an ideal storage monitoring system that gives real-time information. “An IoT-based smart device known as Sense Ball can revolutionise the monitoring of storage conditions including temperature, humidity, gas emissions, light intensity, and acoustics in many types of facilities as well as supply chains,” he said.

This smart ball will periodically transmit data through a variety of IoT networks that include GSM/GPRS, LoRA/Mesh, WiFi and cellular networks. After the data has been captured, it will be transferred to a web/mobile application for storage, alerts, and analytics purposes. Data can be fetched as needed on demand and on a periodic basis. “It is important to note that these sensors come with capacitive humidity sensors as well as thermistors, which are used to detect the temperature of the surrounding area,” he said.

Dr Shahzad said highly accurate temperature and humidity sensors and precise predictive temperature forecasts are needed for the agriculture sector. In agricultural operations, measuring air and temperature moisture is crucial. This is why it is extremely important to get it right in the first place.

“Growing crops in a greenhouse requires a careful balance between temperature and humidity in order for them to thrive. It is partially because imbalances in either can often give similar results,” he added. “In some areas, warming may benefit the types of crops that are typically planted there, or allow farmers to shift to crops that are currently grown in warmer areas. Conversely, if the higher temperature exceeds a crop's optimum temperature, yields will decline,” he explained.

The temperature transmitter attached to the sensor sends out a signal when the temperature changes. The temperature transmitter often sends a signal to a system or a monitor that has to read the temperature. “It will assist farmers in preventing crop losses by taking necessary measurements. By having this prior knowledge, crops can be saved and financial losses can be avoided,” he said.

In agriculture, soil moisture is also one of the most important parameters to consider. The plants may die if there is a shortage or overabundance of water in the environment. At the same time, this data depends on many external factors, primarily weather conditions and climate changes.

“Due to the fact that the humidity can have such a huge influence on different biological, chemical, and physical processes, it must be measured and controlled in different industries,” Dr Shahzad said. As we move into the modern era, sensors are being used more and more in a variety of different ways in our daily lives. As a result, we are enjoying the benefits of this wireless control system. Depending on the application, different sensors can offer different solutions.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk