Low-cost electronic nose for vineyard monitoring using UAV, iot, and AI

Overview

This solution offers a low-cost electronic nose (e-nose) system designed for comprehensive vineyard agronomic assessment. By integrating e-nose sensors with Internet of Things (IoT) networks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and artificial intelligence (AI) models, the system enables continuous monitoring of grapevine health and early detection of both abiotic stresses (such as water stress) and biotic stresses (including insect pests and fungal diseases). Additionally, the technology supports smoke taint risk modelling to evaluate the impact of bushfire smoke contamination on grapes and wine. The approach builds on validated AI models developed for plant physiological assessment, pest detection, and smoke contamination analysis using novel low-cost electronic noses.

Technical specifications

• Low-cost e-nose sensors capable of detecting volatile organic compounds associated with plant stress, disease, and smoke contamination
• IoT-enabled sensor network for distributed, real-time data collection across vineyard plots
• UAV-mounted e-nose payload for aerial sensing and spatial coverage of vineyard areas
• AI modelling framework for physiological assessment, pest detection, and smoke taint prediction
• Smoke contamination and grape taint models specifically developed for bushfire impact assessment on wine quality
• Field validation using state-of-the-art instrumentation including gas exchange measurement, near-infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography for chemometric lab analysis
• Controlled stress imposition capability for validation when natural stress events are absent, including dripper manipulation for water stress and controlled smoking for smoke contamination

Technology readiness level

The underlying e-nose sensor technology and AI models have been validated through peer-reviewed research publications over the past two years, demonstrating accurate results for monitoring physiological, biotic, and abiotic stresses in plants as well as smoke contamination assessment in grapes and wine. The proposed project represents the next stage: deploying a prototype sensor network of five ground-based e-noses and one UAV-mounted e-nose in a commercial vineyard for full-season field validation. This deployment phase will test the integrated system under real-world commercial conditions, bridging laboratory-validated models with operational vineyard deployment.