Towards an autonomous integrated sensor system

We present a prototype, modular, autonomous fluidic sensor system that will be capable of long-term in the field use. Modularity extends from the ability of the system to support different sensing modes (gas or liquid), and autonomy extends from it being self-contained and operating independently. We demonstrate the first use of a custom CMOS integrated circuit that has a photodiode and charge amplifier for sensing, and combine this with a microcontroller to allow for autonomous operation in a very small package. The sensor portion can respond to color change in a liquid or intensity change from a luminescent chemical sensor. Ultimately, multiple sensors can be used at once to determine the concentration of pollutants.