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Octopus: A low-cost, modular environmental sensing platform for makers
Oluwatobi Oyinlola1, Åse Håtveit1, Chada Elalami1
1Senseable City Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Environmental monitoring is increasingly critical in urban and ecological contexts, yet existing tools are often costly or closed-source. Octopus is a full y open-source hardware platform designed to enable low-cost, modular environmental sensing for makers, educators, and citizen scientists. The system is built around a compact, 4-layer custom-designed PCB and a 3D printed enclosure, supporting Arduino-compatible microcontrollers (Nano 33 BLE Sense or Nicla Vision) and varied plug-and-play sensors, including particulate matter, GPS, temperature, and humidity. Octopus emphasizes ease of assembly, flexibility of deployment, and reproducibility. All hardware, firmware, and mechanical design files freely available. Devices can be built for less than 100 USD using widely available tools, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for environmental sensing. We provide complete documentation, including build instructions, firmware libraries, and example applications. Compared to existing citizen-science devices, Octopus offers an extensible and adaptable platform to support hands-on environmental research, educational use, and grassroots sensing initiatives.
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