How Brew Studio designed a bespoke irrigation system that allowed plant owners to remotely water their plants, while solving various challenges such as overwatering, customization, and traceability, among others.
Innovative Plant Care for the Modern Traveler
Our clients, a cute couple from the suburbs of Mumbai, had a passion for travelling. They were also plant enthusiasts with a vast collection of indoor and outdoor plants that required constant care and attention. With no readily available solution in the market, they had to combat the constant worry whenever they left home – who would take care of their plants?
Our team at Brew studio was approached by the couple to help them find a solution to their problem. After working closely with them, we understood their key requirements and decided to devise a custom solution that would meet their specific needs.
The Challenge:
As we delved deeper into the couple’s requirements, we identified several challenges that needed to be addressed to provide them with an effective solution. These included:
- Rain Check: The system would need to check if it had rained the previous day before watering the plants. Overwatering plants can be detrimental to their health.
- Tank Check: We needed to incorporate a feature that would allow the couple to check the water supply level remotely, so they would know when they needed to refill the water tank.
- Manual Override and Customization: Different plants require different amounts of water. Overwatering can be fatal to some plants. The only way out was to manually trigger the watering action. We needed to build something that recognized the varying needs of each plant remotely.
- No Internet, No Problem: Internet connectivity could be an issue while travelling, so the system needed to work even in areas with low or no internet.
- Traceability: The system also needed to record information on who triggered it and when. To ensure accountability and traceability, we needed to add this feature.
A Holistic Solution: Brew Studio Addressed the Plant Watering Issue and Added Value in Other Areas
Solution Overview:
After a careful analysis, we proposed developing a remote trigger system that would enable them to water their plants remotely from anywhere in the world. The system comprised a set of sensors that would monitor the soil moisture levels and send alerts to their smartphones when the plants needed watering.
A bespoke irrigation system was designed and installed that works in conjunction with the remote trigger system. The system was easy to use and could be controlled remotely through a simple smartphone app.
Hardware Used:
- 50 Litre Water Storage Tank
- Water Motor
- Rasberry Pie 0 (check here)
- Water Pipe
- Custom 3D Printed Water Valve
- Wires
Detailed Solution:
We connected the Raspberry Pi to the water motor and created a user interface using Appsmith for triggering the motor. We hosted the code behind the Raspberry Pi on the cloud, allowing users to trigger the motor through the UI from their mobile phones.
We measured the motor’s water outflow velocity against time to determine the amount of water consumed per second the motor runs. This helped us identify water consumption every time the motor was triggered for a specific time interval.
After attaching the motor to the water source (50 Litre water tank), we added a trigger button to the UI for water to dispense by the motor through the water pipe and 3-D printed valves using water stored in the water tank. The water was dispersed based on a reader planted in each pot and controlled by the user through the UI, ensuring each plant received water based on its requirements.
The UI displayed the water level based on the total amount of time the water was run, who triggered the last water run and when, and the trigger and time for each run for each valve based on the plant the valve was attached to.
Happy Clients with Healthy Plants – Solving the Plant Watering Problem and Beyond
The remote trigger system and customized irrigation solution we developed for our clients have been a resounding success. It not only addressed all the challenges faced by the client but also offered additional features and benefits.
- Remote Plant Care: The solution allowed remote watering of plants, providing peace of mind for the couple while they were traveling.
- User-Friendly: The system can be operated by anyone, and multiple users can access it.
- History Maintenance: The system maintains a history of watering actions, making it easy to track and analyze plant care activities.
- Water Level Maintenance: The system incorporates a feature that allows remote checking of the water supply level, ensuring plants receive adequate hydration.
- Mobile Compatibility: The system can be triggered through mobile browsers, as the UI is optimized for mobile devices.
- Eco-Friendly: The solution incorporates rainwater harvesting and reuse of water dispersed from A/C units, making it environmentally friendly.
- Customization: The system controls the water dripped through 3-D printed custom valves to ensure each plant’s unique watering needs are met.
From Challenge to Triumph: A Story of Customized Irrigation Solutions
Our clients were extremely satisfied with the solution we provided, and they have recommended our services to their friends and family. We are proud to have been able to help our clients and contribute to their passion for travel while ensuring that their plants remain healthy and thriving.
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