The AirQuality Lab-on-a-Drone Lofts an Arduino-Based Sensor Payload Skyward for Pollution Tracking
Using an Arduino UNO and a 3D printer, a team was able to modify a low-cost quadcopter for hydrogen sulfide sampling for under $50.
Researchers from the Federal University of Uberland, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerai, and Brazil's Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Bioanalítica have created an Arduino-powered 3D-printed accessory which turns low-cost drones into gas-monitoring airborne sensor platforms: the AirQuality Lab-on-a-Drone.
"The measurement of gaseous compounds in the atmosphere is a multi-challenging task due to their low concentration range, long and latitudinal concentration variations, and the presence of sample interferents," the researchers explain of the problem they have been trying to solve. "Herein, we present a quadcopter drone deployed with a fully integrated 3D-printed analytical laboratory for H₂S monitoring. Also, the analytical system makes [use] of the Internet of Things approach."
The drone, off-the-shelf bar the addition of the team's additions, carries a sensor which monitors the reaction between fluorescein mercuric acetate and pungent hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) — a gaseous irritant, created in concentration by fossil fuel refineries and waste treatment plants. This sensor, along with a compact air pump and a DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, is connected to a low-cost Arduino UNO microcontroller board, with a HC-05 Bluetooth module providing live connectivity to the team on the ground.
In testing, the Lab-on-a-Drone provide able to track hydrogen sulfide levels — and recorded a clear increase as the drone reached altitude, suggesting that existing monitoring approaches which rely on ground-based sensors may be under-reporting the problem. "The proposed device resulted in a weight of 300g and an overall cost of ∼$50," the researchers write.
"The ability to perform all analytical steps in the same device, the low-energy requirements, the low weight, and the attachment of data transmission modules offer new possibilities for drone-based analytical systems for air pollution monitoring," the team concludes.
The researchers' work has been published in the journal Analytical Chemistry under closed-access terms.
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