Wireless sensor mote for snail pest detection

The novelty of this contribution is a custom-made system for snail pest detection that comprises: 1) a shelter to trap snails, 2) a custom photoelectric sensor to detect the snail, 3) a battery and solar cell to power the system, and 4) an Arduino FIO with Xbee to run the Zig-Bee protocol for communication purposes. The ultimate goal is the deployment of a wireless sensor network (WSN) for early snail pest detection to minimize the use of pesticides in crops. Although this is not the first paper on pest detection with WSNs, every pest and scenario needs a specific sensor. In particular, the shape of the shelter discards commercial photoelectric sensors. Also, cost and power consumption lead to the design of a specific conditioning circuitry and strategies to save energy in conjunction with a solar cell to recharge a 1000 mA·h LiPo battery. The battery alone would power the system for 164 days.