Environmental Measurement and Control System for Animal Health Research Using Arduino

Recent advances in electronics components such as microcontrollers and sensors, plus widespread availability of 3D printing, make it possible to construct all-in-one datalogger and control systems in purpose-built enclosures. In addition, microcontrollers can be easily reprogrammed for different purposes including environmental measurement and control of external devices. Since specific needs vary widely across agricultural systems, on-farm research often requires custom instrumentation and datalogging solutions. A custom-built all-in-one environmental measurement and control system (EMCS) was developed for animal health research studies. The system integrates an array of environmental sensors to detect and record luminosity, carbon dioxide and ammonia gas concentrations, dust particle counts, air speed, temperature, and humidity. The developed system is presented along with a case study where environment monitors were deployed to control ammonia and dust in controlled environment chambers for a six-week broiler health study.