Smart Soil Irrigation System Development

Overview

A smart soil irrigation system developed from concept to MVP for agricultural use. The system consists of three main modules: a chemical analysis module, a central control module, and an executive module. It operates autonomously using solar power and communicates via LoRaWAN, with Wi-Fi fallback for local control. The system is designed to monitor soil conditions and automate irrigation and fertilization, significantly reducing costs and improving efficiency in remote agricultural areas.

Key features

• Three-module architecture: Analyzer, Control, and Executive
• Autonomous operation with solar power and battery backup
• LoRaWAN communication for long-range data transmission (up to 5km)
• Wi-Fi fallback for local manual control and monitoring
• Soil chemical analysis and real-time monitoring
• Automated irrigation and fertilization based on sensor data
• Local application server hosting for reliability without internet
• Cost-effective design using RFM95 transceivers

Results & impact

• Developed a fully functional MVP in 8 months
• Achieved 3-fold reduction in system cost
• Enabled autonomous operation in areas with poor connectivity
• Advanced TRL from 3 to 6

Specifications

Range

5 km (LoRaWAN)

Power Source

Solar + Li-ion Battery

Communication

LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, BLE

Modules

Analyzer, Control, Executive

Cost Reduction

3-fold