Schlagwort: Environmental Monitoring

  • Arduino Nicla Sense Env: adding advanced environmental sensing to a broad range of applications

    Arduino Nicla Sense Env: adding advanced environmental sensing to a broad range of applications

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Nicla Sense Env: the latest addition to our portfolio of system-on-modules and sensor nodes, empowering innovators with the tools to unlock new possibilities. This tiny yet powerful sensor node is designed to elevate your environmental sensing projects to new heights. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your journey with Arduino, Nicla Sense Env is here to help sense the world around you with precision and ease.

    “With Nicla Sense Env, we’re taking a critical step toward addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time: protecting the environment. This powerful module allows developers to monitor air quality and environmental conditions with precision, paving the way for smarter, more sustainable solutions. By equipping professionals, educators, and makers with the right tools, we’re helping to build a future where technology and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. The compact nature of the Nicla form factor broadens the number of possible applications, spanning from prototyping to testing and volume production for OEMs.” – Fabio Violante, CEO of Arduino

    “Renesas is proud to be the technology supplier of choice for the Arduino Nicla Sense Env, the new modular board to measure real-time indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity at the edge of the IoT network. Renesas’ system architecture, based on the RA2E1 microcontroller and environmental industrial-grade sensors with onboard AI including the ZMOD4410, ZMOD4510 and HS4001, enables Nicla Sense Env to be deployed in a variety of smart building applications, HVAC and air purifier systems, gas leak detection systems, fumes and fire detection systems, and smart city air quality management, with little integration effort.”
    — Brad Rex, Senior Director of Global Systems and Solutions Team at Renesas

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5yRNZV-nE?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Compact yet capable: let’s unpack the features

    Nicla Sense Env might be small in size, but it’s packed with advanced features that make it a powerhouse for environmental monitoring.

    • Monitor indoor and outdoor environments with AI-ready Renesas sensors. Nicla Sense Env offers temperature and humidity monitoring through the HS4001 sensor and AI-enabled gas detection with the ZMOD4410AI1V and ZMOD4510AI1V sensors. These provide real-time data on air quality, including the detection of TVOCs, NO2, O3, and other gasses, both indoors and outdoors.
    • 22.86 x 22.86 mm = huge potential. With the tiny form factor the Nicla family is known for, Nicla Sense Env can easily fit into any project, allowing you to integrate environmental sensing without compromising on space or design.
    • Robust, reliable, and ready to stand the test of time. Built with industrial-grade sensors, Nicla Sense Env is engineered for durability and accuracy, ensuring reliable performance even in challenging conditions. What’s more, it was designed for 24/7 operation: ultra-low power consumption makes it ideal for long-term deployments in any situation. 
    • Fits right in, with seamless integration and wide compatibility. Whether you’re working with Portenta SOMs or MKR products, Nicla Sense Env connects effortlessly via ESLOV (I2C) or header pins. It’s also compatible with Arduino IDE and MicroPython, so you can start programming right out of the box. And of course, it works great with a variety of libraries and tutorials available through the Arduino ecosystem.

    Real-world applications? We sense endless possibilities!

    Nicla Sense Env is a versatile and accessible tool for environmental monitoring: it’s your new ally whether you’re developing something new or enhancing an existing project, working on a prototype or full-fledged industrial-scale solution.

    Nicla Sense Env fits perfectly into HVAC systems, helping you monitor air quality, humidity, and temperature to keep smart buildings comfortable and compliant with environmental regulations. In air purifiers, it provides real-time data that allow for energy-efficient operation and better air quality by detecting harmful gasses and adjusting the system as needed. When it comes to safety, it can play a critical role in detecting fumes and smoke, triggering early warnings to prevent potential hazards both indoors and outdoors. In industrial settings, it can monitor air quality and detect toxic substances, ensuring that machinery runs safely and efficiently. And these are only the first examples of applications that come to mind! 

    Add a breath of fresh air to your projects

    We look forward to seeing how you will leverage the capabilities of the Arduino Nicla Sense Env to create innovative solutions – whether you’re developing climate control systems, enhancing air quality monitoring, or ensuring safety in industrial environments.

    So, head to the Arduino Store to check out full product details and specifications, and let’s continue to push the boundaries of innovation together – one “tiny” step at a time!

    The post Arduino Nicla Sense Env: adding advanced environmental sensing to a broad range of applications appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Improve indoor air quality with Arduino

    Improve indoor air quality with Arduino

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    When we think about air quality and pollution, it’s easy to conjure up images of smog-filled cities and power plants churning clouds of poison into the atmosphere.

    And while all this is still important, and has massive consequences for our health, it’s all too easy to overlook the air pollution that takes place within our homes.

    Indoor air quality is incredibly important for our health and quality of life, and taking steps to improve the air quality in our homes — while also saving energy — is one of the best things we can do. It’s also surprisingly easy and can be achieved even with DIY devices that aren’t difficult to put together.

    In this article, we’ll look at the ways we can improve air quality at home, along with a few Arduino examples.

    Why does air quality matter?

    Air pollution is a massive health problem. In fact, unclean air can lead to issues like strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and a whole laundry list of terrible respiratory diseases.

    Many of these risks come from living in a part of the world with polluted air, which unfortunately isn’t something most of us can do much about. However, the air in our homes — which we do have some control over — is also a risk factor.

    In 2020, the World Health Organization found that household air pollution was responsible for around 3.2 million deaths per year – including over 237,000 children under the age of 5.

    Enhancing home environment

    So what are the concrete steps we can take to improve the air quality in our homes and keep our family members safe? The good news is, there’s a lot we can do:

    • Ventilate our homes properly, using age-old methods like windows and doors and more modern approaches like ventilation systems.
    • Use monitors that measure the concentration of harmful substances like carbon monoxide and issue warnings when they reach dangerous levels.
    • Minimize emissions from things like waste by keeping the home clean.
    • Manage devices like HVAC units carefully — if not properly maintained these can be harmful to your indoor environment.
    • Avoid burning objects or using powerful toxic chemicals near the home.

    3 ways you can improve air quality with Arduino 

    With automation and tools like Arduino, it’s more than possible to improve the air quality in your home and build a safer and healthier environment for your loved ones to share. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

    Detecting HVAC failures early 

    Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems make life much more comfortable, but more than that, in many parts of the world they’re essential for safe living conditions.

    This is because HVAC systems don’t just regulate indoor temperature, they also provide a steady supply of fresh, clean air. This is crucial if you live in an area with poor air quality, or have household members with respiratory problems.

    When HVACs stop working, problems arise. That’s why Yunior González and Danelis Guillan set out to fix the issue, developing a prototype device that uses machine learning to predict HVAC issues before they arise so you can avoid downtime entirely.

    The project uses an Arduino Nicla Sense ME and Edge Impulse’s machine learning tools to create an algorithm that detects anomalous readings and issues warnings to the user when things don’t look right.

    Another monitoring solution

    In a similar vein to the first project, the medical center network Sangostino developed its own monitoring system using an Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect, aimed at tracking the performance of their HVAC units across 35 locations in Italy.

    They fed the AI extensive amounts of data to help it quickly identify any concerning signs, allowing their teams to keep on top of their HVAC performance and avoid any malfunctions or downtime in an environment where air quality is literally a matter of life and death.

    Air quality and education

    If you’re interested in teaching young learners about the value of air quality, while simultaneously introducing them to some core STEM concepts, Arduino has you covered.

    The Arduino Greenhouse Kit and the Arduino Explore IoT Kit include experiments involving air quality, allowing users to build their own sensors and tracking tools to measure a range of data points like humidity, moisture, and the presence of particles like CO2. These projects both work using the  Arduino MKR IoT Carrier Rev2, which has a VOC sensor.

    Share your projects

    Have you created a project to monitor or improve the air quality inside your home? If so, share it on our Project Hub!

    Whether you’re passionate about conservation or simply curious about the possibilities, now is your chance to join the community and make a difference. 

    Don’t miss out — embrace innovation while honoring our planet.

    The post Improve indoor air quality with Arduino appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Arduino Cloud Café: Let’s chat about environmental monitoring!

    Arduino Cloud Café: Let’s chat about environmental monitoring!

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Exciting news! We’re gearing up for the second edition of Arduino Cloud Café, and we’re thrilled to have you join us. Tune in on Tuesday, February 13th at 5pm CET for an engaging session on environmental monitoring.

    This time, we have two fantastic guests — Bill from Dronebot Workshop and Muhammad Afzal, author of “Arduino IoT Cloud: A Guide for Developers — who will be sharing their insights and connected projects. It’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss!

    Save the date and be ready to dive into the world of Arduino Cloud with us:

    RSVP on Facebook
    Attend on LinkedIn
    Get notified on YouTube

    The post Arduino Cloud Café: Let’s chat about environmental monitoring! appeared first on Arduino Blog.

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  • Vineyard pest monitoring with Arduino Pro

    Vineyard pest monitoring with Arduino Pro

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    The challenge

    Pest monitoring is essential for the proper management of any vineyard as it allows for the early detection and management of any potential pest infestations. By regularly monitoring the vineyard, growers can identify pests at early stages and take action to prevent further damage. Monitoring can also provide valuable data on pest behaviour, seasonality, and population size. This information can be used to adjust management strategies and protect the quality of grapes harvested from the vineyard.

    One of the most effective ways to monitor pests is with pheromone traps. Pheromone traps use synthetic hormone-like compounds to attract specific insects and correctly estimate their overall presence based on their number, preventing major damage and disease to the plants. Using pheromone traps can help protect vines from serious infestations, reduce pesticide use, and ensure a healthy crop. Additionally, these traps can be used to track the activity of a particular species over time which is useful for predicting when pest populations are likely to peak or decline. By knowing when insect pressure is high or low, winemakers can better plan for treatments and cultivate their land accordingly. 

    The value of conservation and pest control initiatives is immeasurable as the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and species invasions become more evident. Traps are widely used for population detection, tracking progress on projects, determining management solutions; in addition to assessing treatment performance.

    Popillia japonica

    Vineyard Pest Monitoring is the practice of monitoring and controlling vineyard pests, such as Popillia japonica. Popillia japonica is a species of scarab beetle native to Japan that feeds on grapevine leaves and can cause significant damage in vineyards. Traditional pest management techniques involve manual monitoring with traps or pheromone traps. These methods are labor-intensive and may not provide accurate and timely monitoring or pest control.

    Our solution

    We propose a solution for estimating Popillia japonica populations in vineyards using pheromone traps and Computer Vision.  

    This system utilizes LoRa® technology to enable remote monitoring of Popillia japonica in vineyards. Arduino Pro allows farmers to monitor Popillia japonica activity with pheromone traps and collect the data remotely. This makes it easier for farmers to detect infestations early and take action, leading to improved efficiency and higher yields. The IoT technology also helps reduce labor costs associated with manual monitoring.

    By using Computer Vision in combination with LoRa® technology, real-time data of pest activity can be collected. This information allows growers to better understand the dynamics of Vineyard pests such as Popillia japonica, helping them to make more informed decisions and reduce their environmental impact. With the right monitoring tools, vineyards can now be better prepared to face the increased risk of Japanese beetle outbreaks posed by climate change.  With IoT devices, there is no longer any excuse not to employ pest monitoring in vineyards. The use of IoT-based pest monitoring is not only cost-effective, but also helps to reduce the environmental impact of pesticide applications. This makes it an important tool for vineyard managers looking to protect their crops in an ever-changing environment. The future of vineyard management lies in the hands of innovative technologies like this one, enabling farmers to ensure their crops are healthy and safe.  By taking advantage of the latest technologies, vineyard managers can make sure their crops are protected from infestations and ensure a successful harvest season year after year.

    To address the challenge we will devise a pest monitoring system based on sensor nodes that monitor areas in the vineyard and send the collected data to a LoRa® gateway that can either display it locally or push it toward a cloud solution where further computation can be done. Either at the gateway level or in the cloud, alerts can be set based on certain thresholds considered relevant. 

    Bug counting

    For monitoring the number of Popillia Japonica in each section of the vineyard we have chosen the Arduino Nicla Vision which is ideal for this project because of its advanced image processing capabilities. It combines a powerful Dual ARM® Cortex® M7/M4 IC processor with a 2MP color camera that supports TinyML in a compact format. The full datasheet is available here. For training the object detection model, we have chosen the Edge Impulse platform where we can easily train and deploy a model that will allow us to detect the number of bugs in the view of the camera. After the deployment, no further need of internet connectivity is needed for the camera and only the number of bugs will be relayed to the Arduino MKR WAN 1310 through UART.

    Connectivity

    The Arduino MKR WAN 1310 is a powerful and versatile IoT development board based on the ARM Cortex®-M0+ 32-bit processor, perfect for building connected projects. It supports the LoRa® communication protocol, making it suitable for long-range applications such as vineyard pest monitoring. Moreover, it also supports the UART, I2C, and SPI communication protocols so it can easily be interfaced with other devices. Additionally, the MKR WAN 1310 features an integrated LiPo battery charger to keep your project running 24/7. With its compact size and low energy consumption, this board can be used in a wide range of projects where connectivity is required without sacrificing power efficiency.

    Thanks to its radio connectivity via LoRa® radio transceivers, the data can be sent directly to the nearest LoRa® gateway which forwards it to the Arduino IoT Cloud. The gateway, Arduino Pro WisGate Edge Pro powered by RAKwireless™ ensures secure and reliable connectivity for a wide range of professional applications and is suitable for medium-sized to wide area coverage in industrial environments and remote regions. Its high transmission power and 2x fiberglass antennas with 5dBi gain provide extensive coverage in open environments, making it the perfect fit for IoT commercial outdoor deployment – required for example for parking sensors, remote fleet management, livestock tracking and geofencing, and soil monitoring solutions that maximize crops’ yield.

    Solving it with Arduino Pro

    Now let’s explore how we could put all of this together and what we would need for deployment both in terms of hardware and software stack. The Arduino Pro ecosystem is the latest generation of Arduino solutions bringing users the simplicity of integration and scalable, secure, professionally supported services.

    Hardware requirements

    Software requirements

    The Nicla Vision has been programmed in MicroPython since the Edge Impulse model was created/tested using the OpenMV IDE and thus we have also sent the number of detected bugs to the Arduino MKR WAN 1310 via UART.

    The Arduino MKR WAN 1310 has been programmed in C/C++ using the Arduino IDE and the Arduino IoT Cloud and registered on the The Things Stack (TTS) platform. The Arduino MKR WAN 1310 acts as an end device programmed to receive the number of detected Popilia Japonica bugs from the Nicla Vision through UART and forward it to the Arduino IoT Cloud through the nearest LoRa® gateway connected to the TTS service.

    Here is a screenshot from a dashboard created directly in the Arduino IoT Cloud showcasing data received from the sensor nodes:

    Here is an overview of the software stack and how a minimum deployment with one of each hardware module communicates to fulfill the proposed solution:

    Conclusion

    By combining Computer Vision with LoRa® technology, farmers can create a reliable vineyard pest monitoring system that is capable of estimating the population of Popillia japonica quickly and accurately. With this IoT-based op-solution, farmers can monitor Popillia japonica activity in their vineyard and take action before Popillia japonica causes significant damage. This helps protect the vineyard from Popillia japonica infestations and ensures higher yields for the farmer.  With Vineyard Pest Monitoring with Arduino Pro, farmers no longer need to rely on labor-intensive manual methods for Popillia japonica monitoring. Instead, they can use IoT technology to create an efficient and cost-effective pest monitoring system that provides accurate data about Popillia japonica activity in their vineyards. 

    In summary, pheromone traps are an important tool for protecting vineyards from pests and ensuring a healthy harvest season and great wines. Salute! 

    The post Vineyard pest monitoring with Arduino Pro appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms

    Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Humans are animals and like all animals, we evolved in mostly outdoor conditions where the air is nice and fresh. But modern society keeps most of us indoors the vast majority of the time, which could have negative health effects. There are many potential hazards, including a lack of sunlight and psychological effects, but CO2 may pose a more tangible risk. To keep tabs on that risk within classrooms, a team from Polytech Sorbonne built this small CO2 monitor.

    This CO2 monitor performs two functions: it shows anyone nearby the CO2 levels in the area and it uploads that data over LoRaWAN to a central hub that can track the levels across many locations. A school could, for example, put one of these CO2 monitors in every classroom. An administrator could then see the CO2 levels in every room in real time, along with historical records. That would alert them to immediate dangers and to long term trends.

    At the heart of this CO2 monitor is an Arduino MKR WAN 1310 development board, which has built-in LoRa® connectivity. It uses a Seeed Studio Grove CO2, temperature, and humidity sensor to monitor local conditions. To keep power consumption to a minimum, the data displays on an e-ink screen and an Adafruit TPL5110 timer only wakes the device up every ten minutes for an update. Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, with a DFRobot solar charger topping up the juice.

    It uploads data through The Things Network to a PlatformIO web interface. An Edge Impulse machine learning model detects anomalies, so it can sound a warning even if nobody is watching. The enclosure is 3D-printable.

    The post Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Monitoring environmental pollution with the Arduino MKR WAN 1300

    Monitoring environmental pollution with the Arduino MKR WAN 1300

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The scourge of air pollution claims several million lives globally each year, with industrial processes and energy production accounting for much of it. Because of its harmful nature, governments often set up air quality monitoring stations, although they have to cover large areas and yield low resolution data. To monitor the air quality of a neighboring ecological reserve, Guillermo Perez Guillen created a small, portable toolkit that can record data from almost anywhere and send it to the cloud.

    Guillen’s system relies on two Arduino MKR WAN 1300 boards, which communicate with each other over the LoRaWAN long-range network, along with a Nano 33 IoT for sending the received data to a web API endpoint over WiFi. The transmitting MKR WAN 1300 is connected to a suite of sensors that measure temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. Then, at preset intervals, each sensor is read and the resulting measurements are sent to an awaiting receiver MKR WAN 1300 board.

    Once the data packets have arrived, they are decoded and displayed on an attached 20×4 character LCD, as well as being sent over UART to a Nano 33 IoT. From here, values are written to a Thingspeak channel so they can be tracked over time. More information about this project can be found on Instructables.

    The post Monitoring environmental pollution with the Arduino MKR WAN 1300 appeared first on Arduino Blog.

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  • Always know current room conditions with the Oplá IoT Kit and Arduino Cloud

    Always know current room conditions with the Oplá IoT Kit and Arduino Cloud

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Robert John likes to keep a constant eye on the current temperature and humidity of his room, as even small fluctuations can lead to uncomfortable conditions. And although he can remotely turn the air conditioning on or off, he still needed a way to track these values throughout the day and log them for future reference.

    To create this smart device, Robert used an Arduino Oplà IoT Kit, as it contains a MKR WiFi 1010, a MKR IoT Carrier with a built-in screen and capacitive buttons, and a PIR sensor for detecting motion. Once connected together, he then configured a new dashboard in the Arduino IoT Cloud with two variables for the temperature and humidity, which are updated once every minute by the MKR WiFi 1010.

    In addition to these values being shown in virtual gauges, the dashboard tracks them in a set of two graphs for up to 15 days. The carrier board also displays the current time, temperature, and humidity on its screen for convenient viewing which turns off automatically to save power when no one is nearby.

    To see more about this project and how it was built, you can read John’s write-up here.

    The post Always know current room conditions with the Oplá IoT Kit and Arduino Cloud appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Environmental monitoring of corporate offices with Arduino Pro

    Environmental monitoring of corporate offices with Arduino Pro

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    The challenge

    The quality of the air we breathe has a direct impact on our health. Poor air quality can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory infections, headaches, and fatigue. It can also aggravate existing conditions such as asthma and allergies. That’s why it’s so important to monitor the air quality in your office and take steps to improve it if necessary.

    Furthermore, the number of people in an office can have a significant impact on air quality. The more people there are, the greater the chance of contaminants being emitted into the air. This is why environmental monitoring is so important in corporate offices; it helps to ensure that the air quality is safe for all workers.

    The last few years added to this challenge yet another layer: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to re-evaluate their workplace safety protocols. One of the most important considerations is air quality. Poor air quality can lead to a variety of health problems, including respiratory infections.

    Environmental monitoring in buildings refers to the security and privacy practices used to protect workers and office buildings from airborne contaminants. This includes collecting data on air quality, temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors. This data is then used to assess the risk of exposure to hazardous materials and take steps to mitigate or eliminate those risks.

    Our solution

    To address the challenge, we will devise an environmental monitoring system based on sensor nodes that monitor each room and send the collected data to a gateway that can either display it locally or push it toward a cloud solution where further computation can be done. Either at the gateway level or in the cloud, alerts can be set based on certain thresholds considered relevant. 

    Air quality monitoring

    For monitoring the environmental conditions we have chosen the Arduino Nicla Sense ME, which is designed to easily analyze motion and the surrounding environment – hence the “M” and “E” in the name. It measures rotation, acceleration, pressure, humidity, temperature, air quality, and CO2 levels by introducing completely new Bosch Sensortec sensors on the market.

    The sensor we are most interested in on the Nicla Sense ME is the BME688, the first gas sensor with artificial intelligence (AI) and integrated high-linearity and high-accuracy pressure, humidity, and temperature sensors. It is housed in a robust yet compact 3.0 x 3.0 x 0.9 mm³ package and specially developed for mobile and connected applications where size and low power consumption are critical requirements. The gas sensor can detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs), volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), and other gasses such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the part per billion (ppb) range.

    The full datasheet is available here. 

    People counting

    For monitoring the number of people in each room we have chosen the Arduino Nicla Vision, which combines a powerful STM32H747AII6 dual Arm Cortex-M7/M4 processor with a 2MP color camera that supports tinyML, as well as a smart six-axis motion sensor, integrated microphone, and distance sensor.

    One thing that must be addressed when using cameras is privacy concerns and for good reasons! In our case, the cameras are used to execute an edge model to evaluate the number of persons in the view and no actual video stream or pictures are leaving the camera. Only the actual number makes it both safe and efficient. 

    For this purpose, we have chosen the Edge Impulse platform where we can easily train and deploy a model that will allow us to detect the number of persons in the view of the camera. After the deployment, no further need of internet connectivity is needed for the camera and only the number of persons will be relayed to the gateway.

    Both the Nicla Vision and Nicla Sense ME have the same size and PCB format, with the main difference being that one features a camera and the other one an array of sensors. For each, we have created a 3D-printed enclosure to accommodate mounting and fulfilling their primary functions easily.

    Edge computing

    For the gateway we have chosen the Portenta X8, which is a powerful, industrial-grade SOM with Linux OS preloaded onboard, capable of running device-independent software thanks to its modular container architecture. It features an NXP i.MX 8M Mini Cortex-A53 quad-core, up to 1.8GHz per core + 1x Cortex-M4 up to 400MHz, plus the STMicroelectronics STM32H747 dual-core Cortex-M7 up to 480Mhz and M4 32-bit Arm MCU up to 240MHz.

    Since space is not an issue when designing building management issues, we have chosen the Portenta Max Carrier, to host and power the Portenta X8 while enhancing its connectivity options and providing it with easy-to-mount options and power supply plugs. We hosted the devices inside an easy to mount on a wall enclosure according to the overall size of the hardware.

    The Portenta X8 can gather via BLE the data from quite a few sensor nodes as long as they are in range and not blocked by heavy walls or structures in between and either store the data locally for displaying it via the local server stack or relay it further to the cloud.

    IoT Cloud solution

    Although the Portenta X8 board is capable of storing data locally, there may be times when it is also desirable to send data to the cloud. This can be accomplished by forwarding data from the InfluxDB database on the Portenta X8 board to the Arduino IoT Cloud via MQTT. The arduino-iot-js NPM module makes it easy to set up this connection, and the steps to do so are not covered in this tutorial. For illustrative purposes, however, the diagram below offers a brief overview of our proposed architecture for one potential deployment scenario in a building with multiple rooms.

    Solving it with Arduino Pro

    Now let’s explore how we could put all of this together and what we would need for deployment both in terms of hardware and software stack. The Arduino Pro ecosystem is the latest generation of Arduino solutions bringing users the simplicity of integration and scalable, secure, professionally supported services.

    Hardware requirements

    • Arduino Nicla Vision
    • Arduino Nicla Sense Me
    • Arduino Portenta X8
    • Enclosures

    Software requirements

    • Arduino IDE
    • OpenMV IDE
    • Edge Impulse account

    The Nicla Vision has been programmed in Python since the Edge Impulse model was created/tested using the OpenMV IDE and thus we have also sent the data over BLE using the Python library.

    The Nicla Sense ME has been programmed in C/C++ using the Arduino IDE since reading the sensors and sending their data over the BLE can be done faster via the C/C++  programming language since the code is already compiled and we do not need any heavy computing like when dealing with video on the Nicla Vision.

    The Portenta X8 with its Linux OS preloaded onboard is fully capable of running Docker and thus containers with a vast array of functionalities. In our case, we found it most useful to use a time series database to store the data and display it locally. There is a pre-built container including InfluxDB, Grafana, and Node-Red that can be easily deployed to achieve this task.

    Here is a screenshot from a dashboard created directly in InfluxDB showcasing data received from the sensor nodes:

    The dashboard can be visualized by accessing the InfluxDB interface on the Portenta X8 IP on port 8086 in a browser on another computer connected to the same WiFi network (for example, http://192.168.1.199:8086/).

    Here is an overview of the software stack and how a minimum deployment with one of each hardware module communicates to fulfill the proposed solution:

    Conclusion

    Environmental monitoring is essential for corporate offices in order to ensure the safety and health of workers. The correlation between the number of people in an office and air quality means that more people can lead to more contaminants in the air. Additionally, data latency can be a challenge when it comes to environmental monitoring. This is why it is important to have systems in place that can collect data quickly and efficiently and make this data available to decision-makers in a timely manner.

    There are many benefits to using this solution. First, it enables building managers to monitor the environmental conditions in each room and take steps to mitigate any risks. Second, it provides a system for collecting data on occupancy, air quality, temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors. This data can be used to assess the risk of exposure to hazardous materials and take steps to mitigate or eliminate those risks. Finally, our solution is easy to use and can be installed in any office building.

    Boards:Portenta
    Categories:ArduinoFeaturedNicla Vision

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  • The Airio Explorer 1 is a Nano 33 IoT-based indoor gas monitor

    The Airio Explorer 1 is a Nano 33 IoT-based indoor gas monitor

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The environments we reside in can have massive effects on our health, as poor air quality, crowded spaces, or uncomfortable temperatures can all lead to certain illnesses. Of these metrics, Tindie seller AppliedSBC has focused on air quality since too much CO2 or too little oxygen quickly impact health with sometimes grave consequences.

    AppliedSBC’s Airio gas monitoring platform, with the Airio Explorer 1 being the first product in the series, utilizes a Nano 33 IoT board to control several different sensors. The primary one is a gas sensor, which can measure concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen gases with relative accuracy. In addition to these datapoints, there is a secondary temperature and relative humidity sensing module that can provide even more information about the surrounding air. The kit supports continuous monitoring, which logs data to either a microSD card (up to four years of data) or to a live web portal once every second.

    With these sensors, an LED indicator, and a programmable alarm for alerting users to hazardous air quality, the Airio Explorer 1 is a fast way to deploy a portable gas monitoring device. AppliedSBC recommends using it at home, in greenhouses, or even in laboratories where maintaining certain environmental conditions can be important. 

    Boards:Nano 33 IoT
    Categories:Arduino

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  • Keep your surroundings safe and clean with building automation

    Keep your surroundings safe and clean with building automation

    Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Safe and Clean with Building Automation - Arduino Cloud

    Whether it’s a home, an office, a school, a restaurant, or something else, it’s always important to keep your indoor environment safe, clean, and pleasant to be inside.

    It’s also a good idea to keep track of the air quality and conditions around you, not just for safety but also to ensure your systems are all working correctly and to avoid any wastage and inefficiencies.

    Accurately monitoring your buildings can seem like a big challenge, but it’s actually very achievable with the right tools, and in fact, doesn’t require a whole lot of technology and expertise to get started. In this article, we’ll look at why it’s so essential to monitor your buildings and how anyone can build their own systems for doing so.

    What is building automation and why is it important?

    Building automation refers to the combination of processes that allow automatic centralized control over many of a building’s systems. This includes heating, lighting, ventilation, and much more — all controlled through one central system.

    Here’s why building automation is so useful:

    • It makes the environment more comfortable and pleasant for occupants
    • More efficient operation and less wastage of resources
    • Lower energy costs
    • Utilities and equipment last longer

    An Example: Indoor Air Quality and Garbage Monitoring System

    Arduino community member Guillermo Perez Guillen helped design and build his own indoor air quality and garbage monitoring system with the help of Arduino’s tools and a series of other materials.

    The project used IOTA — an open-source distributed accounting technology built to securely exchange information and value within the Internet of Things. It’s designed in a way that ensures no commissions, low latency, and better scalability.

    Using this framework, Guillermo built 3 systems to monitor the air and garbage of his building in Mexico City.

    2 indoor air quality monitoring systems

    Using the Arduino UNO board and a number of different sensors, Guillermo created 2 systems aimed at monitoring the air quality inside the building.

    The first system measured the temperature in both Celcius and Fahrenheit along with Relative Humidity Percentage. The second system also measured these factors, along with the concentrations of LPG gas in ppm and CO gas in ppm.

    Garbage monitoring system

    In addition to air quality, Guillermo also built a system to monitor how much garbage was in the building’s trashcans at any given time, measured as a percentage of the trashcan’s capacity. This made it easier to track when the trashcans were full and needed to be changed, avoiding unpleasant overspilling and confusion.

    The data collected from all 3 systems was sent to IOTA via the Arduino UNO and Raspberry Pi boards using Masked Authenticated Messaging (MAM).

    A better environment for everyone

    By keeping track of air quality and garbage in this way, it’s possible to run a much more efficient, clean, and pleasant environment in a building. The same project could be replicated fairly easily in most offices, apartment buildings, schools, and even individual homes.

    Smart buildings allow us to harness the power of technology and data to maintain a better environment to live and work in. With Arduino’s products, these tools are now much more widely available, and easy to learn and start taking advantage of.

    Browse all projects
    Boards:Arduino Cloud
    Categories:Home Automation

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    Website: LINK

  • Star Wars-themed device monitors indoor environmental conditions

    Star Wars-themed device monitors indoor environmental conditions

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — August 22nd, 2022

    We don’t need to tell you that Star Wars is a wildly popular franchise. If you include all of the movies, video games, novels, theme park attractions, and so on, it is the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all time (somehow just behind Winnie the Pooh). Because of its popularity, Star Wars themes find their way into every facet of life. But fan Kutluhan Aktar took that in a surprising direction when he built this Bluetooth®-enabled, Star Wars-style weather and gas station.

    We don’t mean a gas station for pumping fuel, but rather a system that monitors indoor environmental gasses, like methane and carbon monoxide, along with climate information like temperature and humidity. Aktar chose to design the device with a Star Wars look and feel, which includes a Millennium Falcon PCB and a 3D-printed Yoda bust, but that theme has little to do with the functionality. In addition to gathering environmental data, this device can illuminate a pair of light bulbs, control RGB LED lighting in the room, and spin a pair of fans. Those outputs are configurable as indicators that correspond to the environmental data. A small E Ink display shows relevant data, which is also accessible via a smartphone.

    The custom Millennium Falcon PCB, which Aktar designed in KiCAD, acts as a breakout board for an Arduino Nano 33 BLE that controls the other components. Those components include an Adafruit DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, MQ-4 and MQ-7 air quality sensors, relays for the light bulbs, fan motors, and a 2.9” Waveshare ePaper Module. Aktar designed the enclosure in Autodesk Fusion 360 and then 3D-printed it on a Creality CR-200B 3D printer. Because the Arduino has a built-in Bluetooth adapter, Aktar was able to create a smartphone app that connects to the device via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to send control commands and receive environmental data.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZmsbRvhK1o?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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    Website: LINK

  • Keeping algae in check with a DIY pond monitor

    Keeping algae in check with a DIY pond monitor

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    Arduino Team — April 12th, 2022

    For element14 user christophesky, his garden’s pond acts as a meeting point for a wide variety of animals, including frogs, birds, and insects. However, sudden algae blooms can turn the once-clean pond into a toxin-filled pool that is harmful to its visitors, which is what caused Christopher to think of a solution as part of element14’s Just Encase Design Challenge. His idea was to float a comprehensive monitoring system on top of the water, capable of taking regular readings and letting him know what needs to be changed.

    At a basic level, the pond will contain a MKR WAN 1300 with several sensors that take measurements periodically. From here, a second MKR WAN 1300 in Christopher’s greenhouse receives the data and passes it along to a home server/dashboard for easy viewing and analysis. In terms of data collection, the sender MKR WAN board is connected to sensors for measuring parameters such as total dissolved solids, pH, and water temperature, all of which can tell a lot about the pond’s health and susceptibility to algae blooms in the near future. 

    After rigging together a ring of PVC pipes for buoyancy and attaching the watertight sensor housing, Christopher gave his device the name “Floaty McTest Face” and placed it on the pond to begin collecting valuable data. As seen in his dashboard, everything was displayed just as intended.

    You can read more about the project, which was named the contest runner-up, here in its blog post.

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    Website: LINK

  • Researchers develop a simple logger for greenhouse gas flows

    Researchers develop a simple logger for greenhouse gas flows

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    Researchers develop a simple logger for greenhouse gas flows

    Arduino Team — July 28th, 2020

    Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have developed an Arduino-based logger to measure levels of methane and carbon dioxide in greenhouse environments. The device also implements a DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, data from which can be correlated with gas readings. Figures are stored on an SD card using an Adafruit data logging shield.

    Importantly, the team’s study outlines a procedure for calibrating the methane sensor module at atmospheric concentrations, much lower than its normal use. The entire unit can be made for around €200, or about $235 USD. While an inexpensive method for monitoring CO2 has been available for some time, this fills in the need for a low-cost methane sensor that could be used for distributed measurements.

    More information on the greenhouse gas logger can be found in the researchers’ paper.

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    Website: LINK