Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler
Broiler litter quality is a critical factor in industrial broiler production systems, as it affects the environment and animal welfare. The litter is composed of thermal insulating materials such as wood shavings, peanut shells and, rice, among others, with the ability to absorb animal excreta. Its...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Smart Agricultural Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525003363 |
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| author | Glauber da Rocha Balthazar Robson Mateus Freitas Silveira Marcos Vinicius Amato da Cruz Iran José Oliveira da Silva |
| author_facet | Glauber da Rocha Balthazar Robson Mateus Freitas Silveira Marcos Vinicius Amato da Cruz Iran José Oliveira da Silva |
| author_sort | Glauber da Rocha Balthazar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Broiler litter quality is a critical factor in industrial broiler production systems, as it affects the environment and animal welfare. The litter is composed of thermal insulating materials such as wood shavings, peanut shells and, rice, among others, with the ability to absorb animal excreta. Its condition can impact environmental quality. Depending on its condition, it may increase the levels of gases and dust in the aviary, and may cause pododermatitis, compromising paw quality. Effective management requires analyzing litter quality by measuring moisture content. This article presents the development of an electronic sensor for detecting chicken litter moisture using microcontrollers and rapid prototyping sensors. The construction method involved three stages: prototyping a minimum viable product (MVP), conducting field tests to evaluate the sensor's humidity detection capability when integrated with a pre-existing robot, and mathematical modeling to determine the most suitable sensor for detecting litter humidity. This process utilized Technical Standard NBR 6457 to calibrate the equation for adjusting the detected humidity level. The findings confirmed the successful development of a calibrated electronic sensor for measuring litter humidity. This device was tested in a commercial poultry farm, producing a humidity map over a six-week production cycle. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9491c4dcf426466c9275d4dc19efc462 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2772-3755 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Smart Agricultural Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-9491c4dcf426466c9275d4dc19efc4622025-08-20T02:07:30ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552025-12-011210110310.1016/j.atech.2025.101103Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broilerGlauber da Rocha Balthazar0Robson Mateus Freitas Silveira1Marcos Vinicius Amato da Cruz2Iran José Oliveira da Silva3Ambience Research Center. Department of Biosystems Engineering - Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11- São Dimas; ZIP Code 13418-900; Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo (IFSP) R. Heitor Lacerda Guedes, 1000 - Cidade Satélite Íris; ZIP Code 13059-581; Campinas, São Paulo, BrazilAmbience Research Center. Department of Biosystems Engineering - Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11- São Dimas; ZIP Code 13418-900; Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Animal Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Corresponding author at: Department of Animal Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.Ambience Research Center. Department of Biosystems Engineering - Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11- São Dimas; ZIP Code 13418-900; Piracicaba, São Paulo, BrazilAmbience Research Center. Department of Biosystems Engineering - Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11- São Dimas; ZIP Code 13418-900; Piracicaba, São Paulo, BrazilBroiler litter quality is a critical factor in industrial broiler production systems, as it affects the environment and animal welfare. The litter is composed of thermal insulating materials such as wood shavings, peanut shells and, rice, among others, with the ability to absorb animal excreta. Its condition can impact environmental quality. Depending on its condition, it may increase the levels of gases and dust in the aviary, and may cause pododermatitis, compromising paw quality. Effective management requires analyzing litter quality by measuring moisture content. This article presents the development of an electronic sensor for detecting chicken litter moisture using microcontrollers and rapid prototyping sensors. The construction method involved three stages: prototyping a minimum viable product (MVP), conducting field tests to evaluate the sensor's humidity detection capability when integrated with a pre-existing robot, and mathematical modeling to determine the most suitable sensor for detecting litter humidity. This process utilized Technical Standard NBR 6457 to calibrate the equation for adjusting the detected humidity level. The findings confirmed the successful development of a calibrated electronic sensor for measuring litter humidity. This device was tested in a commercial poultry farm, producing a humidity map over a six-week production cycle.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525003363Broiler litter humidityElectronic humidity deviceHumidity sensorMonitoring sensor broiler litterPoultry bed humidity device |
| spellingShingle | Glauber da Rocha Balthazar Robson Mateus Freitas Silveira Marcos Vinicius Amato da Cruz Iran José Oliveira da Silva Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler Smart Agricultural Technology Broiler litter humidity Electronic humidity device Humidity sensor Monitoring sensor broiler litter Poultry bed humidity device |
| title | Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| title_full | Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| title_fullStr | Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| title_short | Development of an electromechanical device for real-time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| title_sort | development of an electromechanical device for real time detection of litter moisture in commercial broiler |
| topic | Broiler litter humidity Electronic humidity device Humidity sensor Monitoring sensor broiler litter Poultry bed humidity device |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525003363 |
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