Abstract
Continuous, in-field monitoring of sucrose (Brix) content is essential for optimizing sugarcane harvest timing and maximizing recoverable sugar yield. Conventional methods, such as refractometry and near-infrared spectroscopy, require a human operator and give only a single reading at a single moment. Electrochemical sensors that stay implanted in the stalk offer a path toward continuous, autonomous monitoring, but turning such a sensor into a reliable field instrument takes more than good sensor chemistry. This thesis presents the design and validation of a wireless, multi-node data acquisition platform built for that purpose. The platform supports a synthetic-assay-based sucrose sensor using mediator-free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), where sucrose binding at a boronic-acid interface produces a non-faradaic impedance response resolved through Randles-circuit fitting. The platform's central challenge is reconciling the analog fidelity needed for multi-decade impedance measurement through a shared, multiplexed potentiostat with the autonomy needed to run unattended for months without guaranteed network access. It is organized as a three-layer, edge-coordinated architecture spanning sensor nodes, an on-site gateway, and a cloud-connected remote access layer, and has been deployed at two field sites: Houma, Louisiana (8 nodes) and Canal Point, Florida (14 nodes). Dummy cell validation showed no significant channel-to-channel or board-to-board variation, matching a laboratory-grade potentiostat within 0.64%. With real sensors, all sources of variation (sensor, board, channel, repeatability) stayed below 0.062 Brix percentage points. Wireless operation added no measurable degradation to measurement quality, and each node operated on a modest daily energy budget of 6.36 Wh, well within reach of solar-powered field operation. These results establish the platform's engineering infrastructure, rather than the sensor chemistry itself, as the central contribution of this work.
Date of publication
Summer 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5136
Committee members
Dr. Shawana Tabassum, Dr. Pemananda Indic, Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Degree
Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Recommended Citation
Galib, Ali Reza, "A WIRELESS, INTEGRATED DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM ENABLING RELIABLE FIELD DEPLOYMENT AND OPERATION OF AGRICULTURAL SENSORS" (2026). Electrical Engineering Theses. Paper 75.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5136
Included in
Electrical and Electronics Commons, VLSI and Circuits, Embedded and Hardware Systems Commons