An autonomous bioluminescent bacterial biosensor module for outdoor sensor networks, and its application for the detection of buried explosives

We describe a miniaturized field-deployable biosensor module, designed to function as an element in a sensor network for standoff monitoring and mapping of environmental hazards. The module harbors live bacterial sensor cells, genetically engineered to emit a bioluminescent signal in the presence of preselected target materials, which act as its core sensing elements. The module, which detects and processes the biological signal, composes a digital record that describes its findings, and can be transmitted to a remote receiver. The module is an autonomous self-contained unit that can function either as a standalone sensor, or as a node in a sensor network. The biosensor module can potentially be used for detecting any target material to which the sensor cells were engineered to respond. The module described herein was constructed to detect the presence of buried landmines underneath its footprint. The demonstrated detection sensitivity was 0.25 mg 2,4-dinitrotoluene per Kg soil.