Design and Development of IoT based Smart System for Monitoring Laboratory Environment

Abstract

This study was conducted to address the critical issue of the poor safety management system in laboratories, through the design of a smart laboratory management facility based on the Internet of Things (IoT). In this design, three major safety parameters-fire, temperature and carbon (ii) oxide (CO) levels were monitored by appropriate sensors, which transmit data to the microcontroller (Arduino) for interpretation. The Arduino microprocessor processed the data received from the sensor(s), makes decisions based on the predefined algorithms. Based on the decisions made by the Arduino, the microprocessor sends instructions to a relay module triggered the necessary actions to be taken by the output hardware devices-fire extinguisher, air conditioning system and exhaust fan unit. The temperature monitoring system was designed at an operational range of 18°C to 25°C, the CO control unit was designed to maintain the CO concentration inside the laboratory at a level not exceeding 4 parts per million (ppm), as approved by the World Health Organization; while fire control unit was designed to detect the presence of smoke of naked fire inside the building. In the event that any of these parameters breach safety thresholds, the smart structure's safety system will trigger the appropriate responses. The designed structure was built in compliance with international safety standards. Results obtained through the testing and evaluation of the system revealed that the smart system had overall performance efficiency of 91% and false output of 9%. The system's failure rate of 9% can be reduced by employing advanced sensors and adjusting the delay rate. The findings of this study revealed that IoT and automation can successfully monitor and protect the working environment inside laboratories.

Keywords

• Arduino UNO
• Automation
• C++ Programming
• Environmental control
• Health hazards
• Sensors and hardware

References

1. Awad NA, Mohamed E, Emad HE, Ahmed SMI, Yasser SGA, Mohamed SG, Reda MYZ, Rokayya S, Ebtihal K, Uguru H and Khaled S (2022). Evaluation of the effect of elite jojoba strains on the chemical properties of its seed oil. Molecules, 27: 3904-3913.
2. Befekadu A, Cheneke W, Kebebe D and Gudeta T (2020). Inventory management performance for laboratory commodities in public hospitals of Jimma zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 13: 49-61.
3. Damaševičius R, Bacanin N and Misra S (2023). From Sensors to Safety: Internet of Emergency Services (IoES) for Emergency Response and Disaster Management. Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, 12(3): 41-86.
4. Dhanaraju M, Chenniappan P, Ramalingam K, Pazhanivelan S and Kaliaperumal R (2022). Smart farming: Internet of Things (IoT)-based sustainable agriculture. Agriculture, 12(10): 1745-1759.
5. Ehsan I, Mumtaz A, Khalid MI, Iqbal J, Hussain S, Ullah SS and Umar F (2022). Internet of things-based fire alarm navigation system: a fire-rescue department perspective. Mobile Information Systems, 2022: 1-15.
6. Ekruyota OG, Akpenyi-Aboh ON and Uguru H (2021). Evaluation of the mechanical properties of tomato (Cv. Roma) fruits as related to the design of harvesting and packaging autonomous system. Direct Research Journal of Agriculture and Food Science, 9: 174-180.
7. Fang B, Sun F, Quan Z, Liu H and Shan J (2021). Smart bracelet system for temperature monitoring and movement tracking analysis. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 8347261-8347275.
8. Fatemi F, Dehdashti A and Jannati M (2022). Implementation of chemical health, safety, and environmental risk assessment in laboratories: A case-series study. Frontiers in public health, 10: 898826-898835.

9. Firesafety (2023). Very Early Warning Fire Detection. Available online at: https://www.firesafetysearch.com/very-early-warning-fire-detection/
10. Idama O and Ekruyota OG (2023). Design and development of a model smart storage system. Turkish Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 4(1): 125-132.
11. Junwei W, Guangjun G, Xitao C and Liang T (2022). Development of Laboratory Management Intelligent Information System Using Functional Modules and Digitization Technology. 2022 2nd International Conference on Networking, Communications and Information Technology (NetCIT). https://doi.org/10.1109/netcit57419.2022.00047
12. Lenaerts B, Collard BCY and Demont M (2019). Review: Improving global food security through accelerated plant breeding. Plant Science, 287: 110207-110218.
13. Leung NZ, Chen A, Yadav P and Gallien J (2016). The impact of inventory management on stock-outs of essential drugs in Sub-Saharan Africa: secondary analysis of a field experiment in Zambia. PLoS One, (5): 1-18.
14. Li S, Gao X, Wang W and Zhang X (2020). Design of smart laboratory management system based on cloud computing and internet of things technology. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1549(2): 022107-022119.
15. Liboreiro KR, Corradi AA and Rapini MS (2022). The role of the university research laboratory in technology transfer to firms in Brazil: Two case studies in biotechnology. Industry and Higher Education, 36(4): 398-414.
16. Ma Y, Wang F and Wang Z (2017). Intelligent laboratory management system based on Internet of Things. 12th International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST). https://doi.org/10.23919/icitst.2017.8356449
17. National Cancer Institute - NCL (2022). Indoor Emissions from the Household Combustion of Coal. Available online at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/indoor-coal
18. Nižetić S, Šolić P, López-de-Ipiña González-de-Artaza D and Patrono L (2020). Internet of Things (IoT): Opportunities, issues and challenges towards a smart and sustainable future. Journal of cleaner production, 274: 122877-122891.
19. Pandiyan P, Saravanan S, Usha K, Kannadasan R, Alsharif MH and Kim MK (2023). Technological advancements toward smart energy management in smart cities. Energy Reports, 10: 648-677.
20. Pawlak K and Kołodziejczak M (2020). The role of agriculture in ensuring food security in developing countries: Considerations in the context of the problem of sustainable food production. Sustainability, 12(13): 5488-5497.
21. Poongothai M, Subramanian PM and Rajeswari A (2018). Design and implementation of IoT based smart laboratory. 2018 5th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Applications (ICIEA). https://doi.org/10.1109/iea.2018.8387090
22. Rajeev RT, Shukadev M, Adinath EK, Rokayya S, Al-Mushhin AAM, Mahmoud FM, Uguru H and Mahmoud H (2022). Effect of harvesting stages and storage temperature on quality attributes and post-harvest shelf-life of mango (Mangifera indica). Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 16: 770-782.
23. Reisinger MR, Prost S, Schrammel J and Fröhlich P (2022). User requirements for the design of smart homes: dimensions and goals. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-021-03651-6
24. Rejeb A, Rejeb K, Abdollahi A, Al-Turjman F and Treiblmaier H (2022). The Interplay between the Internet of Things and agriculture: A bibliometric analysis and research agenda. Internet of Things, 19: 100580-100601.
25. Restiana H and Djukri M (2021). Students’ level of knowledge of laboratory equipment and materials. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1842(1): 012022.
26. Ruskin KJ, Corvin C, Rice S, Richards G, Winter SR and Clebone Ruskin A (2021). Alarms, alerts, and warnings in air traffic control: An analysis of reports from the Aviation Safety Reporting System. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 12: 100502-100517.
27. Shana Z and Abulibdeh ES (2020). Science practical work and its impact on students’ science achievement. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 10(2): 199-212.
28. Shazali Dauda M and Toro US (2020). Arduino based fire detection and control system. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 4(11): 447-453.
29. Sisinni E, Saifullah A, Han S, Jennehag U and Gidlund M (2018). Industrial Internet of Things: Challenges, Opportunities, and Directions. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 14(11): 4724-4734.
30. Tariq U, Ahmed I, Bashir AK and Shaukat K (2023). A critical cybersecurity analysis and future research directions for the internet of things: A comprehensive review. Sensors, 23(8): 4117-4132.
31. Timotheou S, Miliou O, Dimitriadis Y, Sobrino SV, Giannoutsou N, Cachia R, Monés AM and Ioannou A (2023). Impacts of digital technologies on education and factors influencing schools' digital capacity and transformation: A literature review. Education and information technologies, 28(6): 6695-6726.
32. Tjandi Y and Kasim S (2019). Electric control equipment based on arduino relay. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1244(1): 012028. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1244/1/012028
33. Tun MZ and Myint H (2020). Arduino based fire detection and alarm system using smoke sensor. International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering, 6(4): 89-94.
34. Uguru H, Akpokodje OI, Hemdan DI, Sami R, Helal M, Aljahani AH, Ashour AA and Algehainy NA (2023). Effectiveness of plant oil in stabilizing the antioxidants, phenolic compounds and antimicrobial effects of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) oil. Materials Express, 13:704-716.
35. Wang F (2022). Research on intelligent management of laboratory information technology. Procedia Computer Science, 208: 184-189.
36. Wenwen J, Linbo Z, Feifan Z, Wenjing G and Yuxin G (2016). Intelligent Wireless Environmental Monitoring System of University Laboratory Based on Internet of Things. Internet of Things (IoT) and Engineering Applications, 1: 1-5.
37. Zhang N and Zhou L (2023). Design of Intelligent Art Open Laboratory Management System Based on Internet of Things. Proceedings of the 2023 3rd International Conference on Public Management and Intelligent Society (PMIS 2023), 4-11.
38. Zhichuang C (2018). Research on the design of open laboratory management System based on Internet of Things. Digital technology and applications, 4(3):189-190.
39. Zhou Z (2022). Design of medical equipment integrated management system based on Internet of Things. 2022 International Conference on Intelligent Transportation, Big Data & Smart City (ICITBS). https://doi.org/10.1109/icitbs55627.2022.00092