Speaker
Descrizione
Low-cost sensing systems are not intended to replace reference-grade instrumentation, but rather to complement it by enabling flexible prototyping of bio-based sensing and material platforms, and denser deployment for broader access to environmental monitoring. As a result, affordable and Python-based programmable sensor platforms can support modular, interoperable solutions across laboratory studies, field observation, and participatory science [1]. This contribution outlines an ongoing research trajectory based on recent prototyping activities and on currently open scientific questions. The under-development fully automated microalgae-based biosensor is conceived as a bio-analytical platform for monitoring the status of freshwater systems. The work builds on the EcoNet project (https://www.econet.cnr.it/) and on the perspective that microalgae-based biosensors still offer significant untapped potential for innovative environmental monitoring, including integration with other ground-based sensing approaches, remote sensing, and machine learning, to improve interpretation, classification, and predictive capabilities [2]. Another ongoing prototyping activity concerns the development of an automated, standardized platform for filamentous fungi growth. This platform is intended to support reproducible cultivation of saprotrophic filamentous fungi, with potential applications including the fabrication of mycelium-based materials, mycogenic nanomaterials, hybrid bioelectronics, and in-habitat biosensing [3]. For both microalgae- and fungal-based systems, key challenges remain in standardizing operating conditions, controlling biological variability, and successfully transferring laboratory prototypes into field-deployable devices. These challenges include stabilizing biological responses, reducing batch-to-batch differences, and defining reliable validation procedures under real environmental conditions. Beyond laboratory prototyping, this research framework is designed to foster project development and collaboration across sensing, microbiology, materials science, and data analysis. The same technological logic can also be extended to distributed monitoring, territorially embedded environmental observation, and citizen science applications. In this perspective, low-cost sensing is envisioned not only as a technical solution, but also as a methodological enabler for accessible, scalable, and reusable sensing platforms capable of evolving from controlled laboratory settings to real-world field applications.
References
[1] Chan K., Schillereff D. N., et al. Low-cost electronic sensors for environmental research: Pitfalls and opportunities. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment. 2021; 45(5): 576-601. doi: 10.1177/0309133320956567
[2] Grasso G., Zane D., Dragone R. Field and Remote Sensors for Environmental Health and Food Safety Diagnostics: An Open Challenge. Biosensors. 2022; 12(5): 285. 10.3390/bios12050285
[3] Grasso G. Fungal Frontiers in (Bio)sensing. Biosensors. 2026; 16(2): 131. 10.3390/bios16020131
| Giovane Ricercatore (under 40) | No |
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