Independent Plants

Being in the presence of indoor plants has been shown to create a more positive mood, helping keep a positive mental health. (Shibata, 2004)

This project consisted of two different courses.

For the first course, Creative Programming, the project was focused on alerting plant owners when their plant needs watering. ​

​The prototype consisted of 3 parts: a water sensor, an Arduino and a screen monitor. All parts were connected by cable. The sensor was a plastic mushroom designed, so it would shield the cables to avoid getting wet when watering the plant. In order to read the need of water, the project needed two different codes, one for Arduino and another one in processing. The last part was a screen that showed the plant’s state, writing: “Needs water” or “It is sufficiently watered”.

For the second course, Creative Electronics, it was decided to improve on what was already worked on.

Independent plants is focused on helping plant owners in maintaining plants when they have a busy schedule. This product is completely independent of their keeper. By having a self-watering pot, it takes the stress out and be used in everyday life, making tasks easier and more practical as well as allowing users to go on holidays without giving their plants to friends or coming back to it dead. ​