Camera types used on agrobots: – RGB cameras – extensively used in agricultural machine vision applications for fruit/plant detection, yield prediction, segmentation tasks, disease detection, ripeness detection, weed detection and insects detection – Hyperspectral, thermal, or ultrasonic cameras – typically provide better results than conventional RGB color images – Stereoscopic cameras – provides 3D plant structure information (dimension of crops (depth information, crop height, leaf shape, leaf area etc.)) Critical factor is the camera’s resolution, which should be high enough to capture the details of the scene especially in the cases of insect and disease detection.
Car-embedded sensors (lidar and radar), GNSS, and potentially data from brakes, accelerator, steering wheel, etc.
Driverless vehicles and Autonomous Drilling Systems that can operate without human intervention allow operations around the clock, enabling minerals to be extracted and processed in shorter time-frames. Real-Time Kinematic GPS (RTK-GPS) is used In underground mines due to a limited range of signal transmission below the surface and lack of satellite coverage in depth. RTK-GPS is used to ensure autonomous vehicles and drilling systems have clear path-tracking and collision avoidance capabilities. GPS-guided drilling operations. GPS provides accurate information to the drill head to control its direction deep within the earth.
Drones equipped with mobile communication link for C&C between the vehicle and a ground control station
Fiber-optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) systems and pressure gauges enable critical monitoring during exploration and energy production for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). These sensors can be used to: – Estimate production potential in or between new wells by measuring the distributed temperature and the point pressure, or pressure measured at the bottom of the well. These measurements allow the calculation of reservoir size, flow resistance between wells (if multiple wells are instrumented), well bore damage caused by drilling, effectiveness of the fracturing operations, and well completion. – Monitor surface and subsurface scale buildup and chemical clean-up. Scale, a mineral residue precipitated from geothermal fluid in response to changes in water pressure and temperature, builds up on pipe walls and will, over time, form a thick, insulating layer that limits flow and may block a pipe. Chemicals are injected into the pipe to remove the accumulated scale. By understanding severity of the scaling, operators can better consider what mitigation options are most suitable as well as minimize the use of expensive chemicals. – Provide permanent monitoring of injector and producer wells to allow identification of the specific zones and fractures that produce fluids. – Perform integrity monitoring for casing and tubing leaks to avoid contaminating ground water and subsurface aquifers.
GPS for autonomous navigation in open-field cultivation environments Robotic data collection platform equipped with RADAR, liDAR, ultrasonic radar sensors, spectrometers, fluorometers
Light sensors – allows for the greenhouse lighting to be adjusted depending on the sun’s intensity, benefits of increasing electrical efficiency and cost savings of the entire system. Sensors for Volumetric water content (VWC), Bulk electrical conductivity (ECb), Temperature – Used to monitor soil moisture content
Machine vision camera and spectral imaging – helps growers track the growing process of their entire operation, give details on plant height, 3D leaf area, projected leaf area, digital biomass, leaf inclination, leaf area index, light penetration depth, and leaf coverage
Medical grade wearables: Wearable device worn or placed on a body part to record a particular physiological change (e.g., respiratory rate sensors or blood pressure monitors). Any biosensor device for recording data from biological or chemical reactions (e.g., pulse oximeters or spirometers).
Mobile-enabled IoT sensors, Bluetooth beacons, infrared counters or sensors embedded in the pavement, turnstiles
Parking sensors (Infrared, Passive Infrared(PIR)) and Ultrasonic Vehicle Detection Sensors – Individual parking space sensors that gather and transmits information for management, payment and compliance monitoring
Portable waste bin or portable toilets enabled with GNSS. Once data related to fill rates and temperatures of smart bins /toilets are collected, the sensors relay the exact location and other waste related information of the bins in question so waste management can send out SMSes to nearby garbage collectors to do the needed collection/emptying before harmful carbon emissions are released.
Satellites: Geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites are equipped with advanced sensors to monitor wind patterns at high altitudes globally. They are particularly useful for tracking large-scale weather systems and providing data for flight path planning over remote areas like oceans. Satellite sensors that track high-altitude wind speeds can range from those capturing basic wind vector data to more complex imaging systems.
Smart Waste Bin with wireless ultrasonic fill-level sensors and other indicators such as temperature and tilt within waste container
Tag sensors and readers for tracking people, collecting environmental data, equipment tracking, and real-time alerts. RFID transmitter devices are mounted on headlamps belts or badge cards of miners to enable tracking of workers in real-time.
Underground mining has significant safety hazards due to high-stress concentrations, weak rock masses, and limited access and air quality. Different sensors are used in mine-related activities, such as geophones in exploration and blast control, piezometers in dewatering and toxic gas detectors in working frontlines.
