Funding Entity: ADE (Agencia de Desarrollo Económico), Junta de Castilla y León (Spain).
Reference: Research Project 04/18/SA/0016
Responsible company: Ticcyl Digital S.L. (Salamanca - Spain).
Participating entity: University of Valladolid: ITAP Research Institute, Chemical Transducers Group (CSIC-Barcelona).
Duration: January 2020 – September 2022
Project co-financed by the ERDF, Thematic Objective 1, which promotes technological development, innovation and quality research.
The main objective of this project is to research and design a novel electronic device that leverages ISFET sensor to study variables and chemical characteristics of a substance that need to be analyzed without the need of a laboratory analysis. When applied to the agri-food sector, this device will allow the optimization of fertilization or water and crops treatment processes utilizing the gathered real time knowledge of the previously mentioned variables.
A scientifically validated chemical variable measurement device will be designed and built with the purpose of speeding up the analysis work, facilitate portability from the laboratory to the field, reduce analysis costs and allow results to be known in real time, to be a benchmark in the field of chemical analysis using contact sensors in real time.
Project Objectives
• Investigate the possibility of using ISFET sensors for the chemical determination of soils, volatiles and aqueous solutions.
• Investigate the correlation of the results obtained with the ISFET sensor-based laboratory prototype with respect to traditional laboratory analyses, and determine the results normalization process.
• Investigate the ways of communicating the results to wireless networks such as LORAWAN, SIGFOX and others available for Industry 4.0.
• Design a portable, stick-type device that can incorporate all the electronics, sensorization and communication in real time.
• Reduce the costs associated with carrying out soil, water or fluid analyses, since this instrument would allow having a small electronic device that fits in the palm of the hand.
• Facilitate decision-making by farmers, field technicians and sector sales representatives through scientific knowledge of the water and fertilization needs of crops based on the information provided by the instrument.
• Reduce the environmental impact by facilitating the reduction of the use of fertilizers and the optimization of the water needs of crops.
