At the Photonics Laboratory in IIT Bombay, we are developing various photonic devices based on different spectroscopic techniques. They are tailored for various opto-electronic and sensing applications in the agricultural, healthcare and environmental sector. One such device is the non-contact and in-field soil analysing device based on diffused reflectance spectroscopy technique. The project ‘Moisture sensor for controlled irrigation’ is funded by the Konceptogen company.

Motivation    
■ Development of accurate, reliable, user-friendly and in-field soil analysing Internet of Things (IoT) device for smart and controllable farming
Capabilities
■ Quantitative surface and depth profiling of moisture in soil matrix
■ Fast estimation of water holding capacity of soil
■ Remote measurement of field parameters through user-friendly mobile application
Salient features    
■ Instantaneous (< 1 sec) in-field soil analysis, free from any sample pre-processing
■ IoT device with user-friendly mobile interface for continous soil monitoring
Extended features
■ Measurement of micronutrients present in soil
■ Linking with GPS for wide area soil analysis which can help government in developing various schemes and policies thereby take care of soil health in a particular region