A portable soil surface roughness instrument for automatic two-dimensional profile roughness measurement in the field

IF 2 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

HardwareX Pub Date : 2025-04-19 DOI:10.1016/j.ohx.2025.e00654

Gang Sun , Xiu Wang , Shuai Gao , Jinmei Pan , Qinhuo Liu , Wenjiang Huang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Soil surface roughness, characterized by the unevenness of the soil surface, is a critical parameter influencing radar backscatter coefficients and microwave emissivity, and is essential for applications in agriculture, soil science, climate modeling, and geology. Current roughness measurement methods, such as manual pin meters and photogrammetry, face limitations in field portability, automation, and cost efficiency. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces a novel, portable instrument utilizing automated two-dimensional rotary laser scanning to quantify surface roughness. The device’s innovative design integrates a tripod-mounted laser scanner that generates 1 cm-resolution horizontal profiles by calculating surface heights from rotation angles and distances, eliminating manual intervention and enabling rapid field deployment. Compared to traditional contact methods or LiDAR systems, the instrument achieves comparable accuracy (R2 = 0.97 vs. pin meters) while offering significant advantages in portability (<5 kg total weight), automation (full-profile measurement in < 30 s), and affordability (estimated cost <$2,705). Field experiments validated its ability to compute roughness parameters (RMS height, correlation length) critical for microwave remote sensing and soil erosion modeling. By bridging the gap between laboratory-grade precision and field practicality, this instrument provides researchers and agronomists with a cost-effective tool to advance microwave remote sensing, precision agriculture, climate forecasting, and soil conservation efforts.

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一种用于野外二维剖面粗糙度自动测量的便携式土壤表面粗糙度仪

土壤表面粗糙度以土壤表面的不均匀性为特征，是影响雷达后向散射系数和微波发射率的关键参数，在农业、土壤科学、气候模拟和地质等领域的应用至关重要。目前的粗糙度测量方法，如手动针计和摄影测量，在现场便携性、自动化和成本效率方面面临局限性。为了克服这些挑战，本研究引入了一种新型的便携式仪器，利用自动二维旋转激光扫描来量化表面粗糙度。该设备的创新设计集成了一个安装在三脚架上的激光扫描仪，通过旋转角度和距离计算表面高度，生成1厘米分辨率的水平剖面，消除了人工干预，实现了快速的现场部署。与传统的接触式方法或激光雷达系统相比，该仪器达到了相当的精度（R2 = 0.97 vs引脚仪表），同时在便携性（总重量为5kg），自动化（全轮廓测量）方面具有显着优势。30美元)和可负担性（估计成本为2,705美元）。现场实验验证了其计算粗糙度参数（均方根高度、相关长度）的能力，这些参数对微波遥感和土壤侵蚀建模至关重要。通过弥合实验室级精度和现场实用性之间的差距，该仪器为研究人员和农学家提供了一种具有成本效益的工具，以推进微波遥感，精准农业，气候预测和土壤保持工作。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

HardwareX Engineering-Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

18.20%

发文量

124

审稿时长

24 weeks

期刊介绍： HardwareX is an open access journal established to promote free and open source designing, building and customizing of scientific infrastructure (hardware). HardwareX aims to recognize researchers for the time and effort in developing scientific infrastructure while providing end-users with sufficient information to replicate and validate the advances presented. HardwareX is open to input from all scientific, technological and medical disciplines. Scientific infrastructure will be interpreted in the broadest sense. Including hardware modifications to existing infrastructure, sensors and tools that perform measurements and other functions outside of the traditional lab setting (such as wearables, air/water quality sensors, and low cost alternatives to existing tools), and the creation of wholly new tools for either standard or novel laboratory tasks. Authors are encouraged to submit hardware developments that address all aspects of science, not only the final measurement, for example, enhancements in sample preparation and handling, user safety, and quality control. The use of distributed digital manufacturing strategies (e.g. 3-D printing) is encouraged. All designs must be submitted under an open hardware license.