A device that uses electricity generated by plants as its power source has communicated via satellite – a world first.
Such sensors could be used to connect everyday objects in remote locations, enabling them to send and receive data as part of the Internet of Things.
The device can inform farmers about the conditions of their crops to help increase yield, and enable retailers to gain detailed information about potential harvests.
It transmits data on air humidity, soil moisture and temperature, enabling field-by-field reporting from agricultural land, rice fields or other aquatic environments.
The extremely low power device sends signals at radio frequencies that are picked up by satellites in low Earth orbit. It was developed by Dutch company Plant-e and Lacuna Space, which is based in the Netherlands and the UK, under ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES).
Continue reading at European Space Agency
Image via European Space Agency
