HydroNeuro: A Data-Efficient IoT Sensing and Edge-AI Framework for Real-Time Hydraulic Anomaly Detection

Reliable monitoring of hydraulic networks is essential for efficient and sustainable water management in agriculture. To address the growing need for intelligent, low-latency anomaly detection in such systems, we propose HydroNeuro, a domain-aware embedded framework that integrates hydraulic domain knowledge with data-driven neural inference for the real-time detection of leaks and obstructions. Rather than embedding physical equations directly into the learning objective, we leverage established hydraulic principles, including Bernoulli’s equation and the Darcy–Weisbach formulation, to structure the experimental design, interpret pressure–flow relationships, and ensure physical consistency of the learned representations. These principles confirm that pressure deviations induced by leaks or obstructions are causally explainable and measurable. We employ a fractional factorial design (FFD) to optimize valve activation combinations and sensor configurations during dataset acquisition, thereby reducing redundant experiments, water circulation, and energy consumption while limiting mechanical stress on system components. We deploy a lightweight neural network on an ESP32 microcontroller using TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers to enable energy-efficient, low-latency edge inference under severe hardware constraints. Our experimental validation on a laboratory-scale hydraulic testbed demonstrates anomaly detection accuracy exceeding 96%, with strong robustness under sensor noise and hydraulic perturbations. Compared to a multiple linear regression baseline, the proposed neural model reduces the prediction error from an RMSE of 0.58 to 0.12. By coupling physically consistent experimental modeling with embedded neural inference, HydroNeuro provides a scalable and practically deployable solution for autonomous hydraulic monitoring in precision irrigation and smart water distribution systems.