Sensors for digitalized measurement of soiling and hygiene

IoT sensors can be used to automatically estimate hygiene status in public premises. By integration of these into an automated system, it is possible to optimize timely cleaning of, for example, restrooms.

The first step of the project was to map which sensor types should be relevant for IoT-based measurements of hygiene. Based on the mapping, we have made the decision to focus on electronic nose (e-nose) sensors, which can be used to assess the presence of gases and odors.

An e-nose is typically made up by a set of gas sensors, each one with its own sensibility to certain gases. If the signals of all sensors are combined through an algorithm, the system may recognize smells. Depending on the algorithm used, recognition may be simple like "good" or "bad", but it may also be able to detect more complex odours.