Project

Problem Description

Many individuals living in apartments or small spaces lack the time, space, or experience required to maintain a traditional garden.

• Goal: simplify plant growth in small living spaces

Project Objective

Design an automated system to monitor and regulate:

• Soil moisture
• Lighting
• Temperature and Humidity

Why It Matters

• Reduces effort required for plant care
• Demonstrates real world embedded systems application
• Promotes sustainability and self sufficiency

System

Methods

Microcontroller based architecture that integrates environmental sensors and actuators.

Approach

Time-based control loop was implemented. All sensors sample every 30 minutes. Threshold based-decisions:

• The pump activates when soil moisture is low
• The fan activates when humidity exceeds a set limit
• Grow lights operate on a 12-hour cycle
• A warning is displayed when water level is low

Conclusion

Key Results

• The system successfully automated watering, lighting, and environmentalmonitoring.
• Testing showed reliable performance in maintaining stable growing conditions.
• The results demonstrate that a simple, time-based embedded system can effectivelysolve the problem of indoor plant maintenance in small spaces.

Future Work

• Future development will focus on making the system more customizable, scalable, and user friendly.
• Adjustable light intensity based on specific plant type
• Independent watering control for each plant pot
• Mobile app for remote monitoring and control

What Was Learned

Key lessons include the importance of modular design, thorough testing, and choosing simple control strategies that match the application.