An Open Source IoT Framework for a Distributed Modular Low-cost Laser-based Sensing Platform

The transformation of laser-based optical sensors into industrial environments is a time-consuming and costly process, since not only laser safety measures and structural limitations, but also digital infrastructures must be carefully considered. We have therefore developed a modular photonics platform, which is characterized by the possibility of rapid adaptation to individual conditions and is, thus, particularly suitable for agile prototyping. This paper is dedicated to the challenge of implementing a modular Internet of Things (IoT) framework on the basis of existing open source software to offer applicability without a deep background in computer science. The primary approach revolves around the established combination of Node-RED with MQTT. Furthermore, the incorporation of the IoT concept can be seen as a valuable addition in physics. As a first step, we implemented our IoT framework for an initial version of the sensing platform creating the foundation for a basic photoelectric sensor.