Combining Smart Glasses and Thermal Imaging as a Tool for Water Stress Detection in Greenhouses: A Preliminary Study

The aim of the study was to combine low-cost thermal imaging camera with smart glasses to evaluate the feasibility of augmented reality system for monitoring water stress under protected conditions. The tests were performed in a greenhouse on 208 Petunia hybrid ‘Surfinia’ plants. All the plants were irrigated to reach field capacity, while 15 of them did not receive irrigation water for seven days before the trials. Three qualified operators had to identify the plants in water stress condition, using 3 operative modes: naked eyes (NE); thermal imaging camera (Thermal Compact Pro, Seek, USA) associated with a smartphone (TSP); thermal imaging camera associated with smart glasses (TSG, M400, Vuzix, USA). The results showed a general low rate of water stressed plants identification in the three operative modes considered. On the other hand, the unsuccessful detection of the plants in water deficit made by the operators was reduced about 40% when adopting the TSG as compared to NE operative mode.