Collection of ENEA technology and expertise
Tools, technologies and device networks for air quality monitoring
SentinAir platform is different from others similar options available on the market due to its capacity of using heterogeneous types of sensors or devices. This feature is given thanks to the combination of its software and hardware architecture, and the “open-source” nature of them. SentinAir device is equipped with any port commonly used for interfacing different kind of hardware modules: USB, Ethernet, I2C, TTL serial. SentinAir software is able to communicate with various types of peripherals thanks to its modules or drivers specific for each peripheral or sensor.
Application sectors
Problem to solve
The air quality monitoring is performed by expensive, bulky, fixed and maintenance demanding instruments. For this reason, governmental institutions for environment protection can deploy just few measuring stations to cover a territory which are insufficient to provide data about air pollutant concentrations having an adequate spatio-temporal resolution. It is also unfeasible to use such instruments in flats, homes or apartments for the early mentioned reasons, making very hard an assessment of the air quality in indoor environments. Low-cost devices already on the market offer an option for addressing this issue, but they often force the users to leverage just a type of sensor or technology. SentinAir allows the use of a wide range of sensors or technologies for air quality monitoring making possible its use in various situations: indoor, outdoor monitoring, or laboratory activities.
Description
The proposed technology represents a kind of "swiss kinife" able to use sensors and devices based on different kind of technologies and featured by different electronic interfaces. The similar products available on the market allow the air quality monitoring by leveraging just one or few types of technologies or sensors, as consequence, they bind the user to the use of one type of sensor or technology, and usually, they force their use only in indoor or outdoor environments. The platform here proposed, called SentinAir, is able to interface any sensor or device through any electronic interface today commonly used thanks to its particular hardware and software structure, and therefore, solves the aforementioned problem. It is possible to use SentinAir both in indoor and in outdoor environments, or in laboratory activities. As matter of facts, the case hosting all the hardware is characterized by a IP55 protection grade, thus is waterproof.
Innovative aspects and advantages
- It allows the use of heterogeneuos types of sensors, technologies, and devices
- it allows the creation of wireless networks without leveraging cloud services of thrid subjects
- it can be highly customized
- it can be used in any environment (indoor, outdoor, or in laboratory)
Technological Maturity 9
Strengths
- Cost
- Social/economic relevance
- Legal/regulatory content
- Efficiency/productivity/performance
- Innovation
- Lack of technology/solution for the specific task
Admissible applications
- development and design of low-cost devices for air quality monitoring
- development and design of sensor and monitor networks for air quality monitoring
- indoor air quality monitoring
- low-cost sensor and monitor networks for early detection of gas leaks in industrial plants
- sensor and device wireless networks for monitoring the air pollutant concentrations in urban environments
Research group involved
Revision date
09-05-2025
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