Smart Micro Farm: Sustainable Algae Spirulina Growth Monitoring System

Abstract

The applications of Internet of Things (IoT) have been growing rapidly, in recent years, within numerous fields of study. One such field is the study of Spirulina Algae, which has been an interest to many food technology researchers for many decades. Spirulina Algae is known as one of the best sources of protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients. It is often used as the main ingredient in dietary supplements. To produce the best Spirulina Algae, it has to be grown in an alkaline water media with a stable water temperature of around 86° F, controlled intensity of ultra-violet, regulated water turbidity, as well as maintained supply of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and CO2. IoT has become an inevitable choice of technology application for improving high grade food source, assuring food safety, and standardizing the forms of cultivated Spirulina Algae. It uses a microcontroller, such as Arduino, and sensors to create a real-time monitoring system via the internet to monitor water temperature, ultraviolet intensity, and water turbidity. This paper presents an intelligent IoT System, a smart micro farm IoT system to monitor these data. The data collected can also benefit other researchers who wish to observe the life pattern of Spirulina Algae in the given environment. This paper describes the hardware and software components where the system was deployed.