The tools used to study biofilms generally involve either destructive, end-point analyses or periodic measurements. The advent of the internet of things (IoT) era allows circumvention of these limitations. Here we introduce and detail the development of the BioSpec; a modular, nondestructive, real-time monitoring system, which accurately and reliably track changes in biofilm biomass over time. The performance of the system was validated using a commercial spectrophotometer and produced comparable results for variations in planktonic and sessile biomass. BioSpec was combined with the previously developed carbon dioxide evolution measurement system (CEMS) to allow simultaneous measurement of biofilm biomass and metabolic activity and revealed a differential response of these interrelated parameters to changing environmental conditions. The application of this system can facilitate a greater understanding of biofilm mass–function relationships and aid in the development of biofilm control strategies.

用于研究生物膜的工具通常涉及破坏性终点分析或定期测量。物联网 (IoT) 时代的到来可以规避这些限制。这里我们介绍并详细介绍BioSpec的发展；模块化、无损、实时监测系统，可以准确、可靠地跟踪生物膜生物量随时间的变化。使用商用分光光度计验证了系统的性能，并针对浮游生物量和固着生物量的变化产生了可比较的结果。 BioSpec 与之前开发的二氧化碳逸出测量系统 (CEMS) 相结合，可以同时测量生物膜生物量和代谢活动，并揭示这些相互关联的参数对不断变化的环境条件的差异响应。该系统的应用可以促进对生物膜质量-功能关系的更好理解，并有助于制定生物膜控制策略。