Research at the forefront of environmental science often requires specialized instrumentation for which there are few-to-no off-the-shelf solutions. As a result, researchers are commonly faced with the need to purchase “niche” expensive devices, void the warranties on shelf products to hack and modify them, or even rethink research methods themselves to accommodate the limitations of our instrumentation.
The increasing availability and functionality of 3D printing, decreasing cost of electronics, and proliferation of DIY and Maker community resources are contributing to a fundamental transformation of the possibilities and methods for creating new technologies in environmental sensing. In a world where digital files can quickly become physical objects, the popular model of mass-produced instrumentation could evolve to favor custom devices that fulfill idiosyncratic specifications of individual researchers and applications.
This special issue ‘Open-Hardware for Environmental Sensing and Instruments’ features transformative research that advances this field. We are looking for open, detailed, and validated designs of hardware that incorporate any combination of rapid prototyping, 3D printing, laser cutting and etching, data logging, telemetry, microprocessors, sensors and actuators to evolve existing instrumentation toward new directions or to create truly unique devices that have great potential to impact environmental science.
Consideration will be given toward projects that are legibly documented in an open format and show evidence of validation and calibration against industry-standard devices where relevant. All submitted papers must be clearly written in excellent English and contain only original work, which has not been published by or is currently under review for any other journal or conference.
A detailed submission guideline is available as “Guide to Authors” at: https://www.elsevier.com/journals/hardwarex/2468-0672/guide-for-authors
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/hardwarex/submit-your-hardware/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hardwarex
All manuscripts and any supplementary material should be submitted through Elsevier Editorial System (EVISE). The authors must select as “VSI: Open Enviro Sens & Ins”when they reach the “issue” step in the submission process. The EVISE website is located at:
https://www.evise.com/profile/api/navigate/OHX
All papers will be peer-reviewed by independent reviewers. Requests for additional information should be addressed to the guest editors.
Editor in Chief
Prof. Dr. Todd Duncombe
Prof. Dr. Joshua Pearce
Guest Editors
Prof. Dr. Chet Udell, Oregon State University, Oregon, USA
Shannon Hicks, Stroud Water Research Center, Pennsylvania
Important dates
Final Submission deadline: Feb 15, 2019
Acceptance deadline: June 28, 2019
Publication: Aug 30, 2019