Smart Farming – Bluetooth Low Energy Sensor

Context

In the developed world farmers are beginning to utilize the ideas behind the Internet of Things to increase their productivity. Labeled ‘smart farming’, these systems usually utilize satellite remote sensing for analyzing big fields. Other options include monitoring points of interest with specialized sensors that connect to a personal network. Both options require big infrastructure investments and are therefore only viable for big farms. But especially in developing countries, climate change is threatening food security. Smart farming can help to increase resilience to extreme weather and increase production. Most farmers in developing countries are working in small fields and are unable to utilize the current smart farming technologies.

To enable these farmers to benefit from smart farming techniques other sensors are needed. The idea of this thesis is to create a prototype of a soil monitoring sensor that can communicate via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Tasks

• Identify the most important properties to be monitored

• Test different sensors to measure these properties

• Combine the sensors with a BLE-enabled microcontroller to create a smart farming sensor

• Send the data via BLE to a smartphone

Requirements

• Motivation and interest in solving technical problems

• Interest in electronics and embedded systems

• Experience in programming (C++, Java)