Project Overview

The main goal of our project is to develop a system that measures soil moisture content though a method that is easily attached to a common track care implement. Data collected from the method is logged onto the device and uploaded to the cloud. While our group is building upon two previous years of this project, we are purely focusing on the moisture sensing component. Final deliverable for the project is a data acquisition device that can be mounted to a track care implement and collect soil moisture data. The final developed device will be easy to integrate into sprayer control systems.

Within the equine and construction industries, it is very important to have soil with consistent moisture content. This project focuses on equine applications specifically, such as race tracks and riding arenas. In these spaces, soil moisture must be consistent to ensure safe and stable footing for the horses. Currently, tracks and arenas are wetted with water trucks. These trucks water sprayers are controlled by manual on/off valves with no understanding for current moisture content of the soil, which results in uneven moisture content throughout the track. The main reason for manual water truck control is the lack of commercial ways to measure the soil moisture content throughout the track. This project seeks to mitigate these issues by developing a device that can actively sense soil moisture content when attached to various track care implements.