Laboratory evaluation of ARMIE, a portable SPS30-based low-cost sensor node for PM2.5 monitoring
Kloppenborg, Asbjørn ; Frederickson, Louise B. ; Nielsen, Rasmus ; Sabel, Clive E. ; Skallgaard, Tue ; Löndahl, Jakob LU
; Laurent, Jose G.C.
and Sigsgaard, Torben
(2026)
In Sensors
26(1).
- Abstract
Background: Low-cost particulate matter sensors have enabled new opportunities for exposure monitoring but require evaluation before application in epidemiological studies. This study assessed the performance of the SPS30 sensor integrated into the ARMIE portable monitoring sensor-node under controlled laboratory conditions. Methods: Sensors were co-located with two comparison instruments—the optical DustTrak photometer and the combined Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS)—across multiple aerosol sources, including candle burning, cooking, cigarette smoke, and clean air, under both regular and high-humidity conditions. Calibration performance was evaluated using leave-one-sensor-out and... (More)
Background: Low-cost particulate matter sensors have enabled new opportunities for exposure monitoring but require evaluation before application in epidemiological studies. This study assessed the performance of the SPS30 sensor integrated into the ARMIE portable monitoring sensor-node under controlled laboratory conditions. Methods: Sensors were co-located with two comparison instruments—the optical DustTrak photometer and the combined Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS)—across multiple aerosol sources, including candle burning, cooking, cigarette smoke, and clean air, under both regular and high-humidity conditions. Calibration performance was evaluated using leave-one-sensor-out and leave-one-source-out approaches. Results: The ARMIE node demonstrated strong agreement with the DustTrak (r = 0.93–0.98) and maintained linear response characteristics across emission types. Calibration reduced mean errors and narrowed the limits of agreement. Agreement with the SMPS + APS was moderate (r = 0.74–0.94) and characterized by systematic underestimation at higher concentrations. Conclusions: Overall, the ARMIE node achieved high correlation with the DustTrak, demonstrating that low-cost optical sensors can reliably capture temporal variability in particle concentrations relative to mid-cost photometers.
(Less)
- author
- Kloppenborg, Asbjørn
; Frederickson, Louise B.
; Nielsen, Rasmus
; Sabel, Clive E.
; Skallgaard, Tue
; Löndahl, Jakob
LU
; Laurent, Jose G.C.
and Sigsgaard, Torben
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-01-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- environmental epidemiology, exposure assessment, low-cost sensors, performance evaluation, PM monitoring, sensor calibration, SPS30
- in
- Sensors
- volume
- 26
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 280
- pages
- 36 pages
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:41516715
- scopus:105027323803
- ISSN
- 1424-8220
- DOI
- 10.3390/s26010280
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Asbjørn Kloppenborg, Torben Sigsgaard, Clive Sabel, Louise B. Frederickson, and Tue Skallgaard were supported by BERTHA—the Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health—funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Program (grant NNF17OC0027864). All work related to assembling and software programming for the ARMIE node was supported byARMIE—Arhythmia, Myocardial Infarction & the Environment—funded by Karen Elise Jensens Fond. (Granted Karen Elise Jensens Fond 29-06-21). All chamber resources and laboratory expenses associated with the experimental work conducted were supported by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS (Grant Nos. 2021-02382 and 2024-01765).
- id
- 819e4a2a-9614-498e-aa2e-eb395ac4fbb5
- date added to LUP
- 2026-01-30 16:15:46
- date last changed
- 2026-02-18 03:19:27
@article{819e4a2a-9614-498e-aa2e-eb395ac4fbb5,
abstract = {{<p>Background: Low-cost particulate matter sensors have enabled new opportunities for exposure monitoring but require evaluation before application in epidemiological studies. This study assessed the performance of the SPS30 sensor integrated into the ARMIE portable monitoring sensor-node under controlled laboratory conditions. Methods: Sensors were co-located with two comparison instruments—the optical DustTrak photometer and the combined Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS)—across multiple aerosol sources, including candle burning, cooking, cigarette smoke, and clean air, under both regular and high-humidity conditions. Calibration performance was evaluated using leave-one-sensor-out and leave-one-source-out approaches. Results: The ARMIE node demonstrated strong agreement with the DustTrak (r = 0.93–0.98) and maintained linear response characteristics across emission types. Calibration reduced mean errors and narrowed the limits of agreement. Agreement with the SMPS + APS was moderate (r = 0.74–0.94) and characterized by systematic underestimation at higher concentrations. Conclusions: Overall, the ARMIE node achieved high correlation with the DustTrak, demonstrating that low-cost optical sensors can reliably capture temporal variability in particle concentrations relative to mid-cost photometers.</p>}},
author = {{Kloppenborg, Asbjørn and Frederickson, Louise B. and Nielsen, Rasmus and Sabel, Clive E. and Skallgaard, Tue and Löndahl, Jakob and Laurent, Jose G.C. and Sigsgaard, Torben}},
issn = {{1424-8220}},
keywords = {{environmental epidemiology; exposure assessment; low-cost sensors; performance evaluation; PM monitoring; sensor calibration; SPS30}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Sensors}},
title = {{Laboratory evaluation of ARMIE, a portable SPS30-based low-cost sensor node for PM<sub>2.5</sub> monitoring}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s26010280}},
doi = {{10.3390/s26010280}},
volume = {{26}},
year = {{2026}},
}