In recent years, more and more people have begun to pay attention to the growth of plants, especially those who grow plants in cities. However, how to accurately monitor the growth status of plants has always been a difficult problem. Now, a product called "Smart Plant Monitor" won the 2023 Hackaday Prize, which allows you to easily monitor soil moisture to understand the growth status of plants.
This smart plant monitor uses the touchpad function of ESP32-S3 to accurately measure soil moisture. Simply insert an inexpensive, replaceable soil probe into the soil, or simply insert a copper wire into the soil, and get the data.
In addition, this smart plant monitor also has the characteristics of low power consumption, small size, rechargeable and programmable, and can communicate through WIFI or Bluetooth. Just plug a device into an outlet and it acts as a hub to which other devices can send updates (low power mode).
Not only does this smart plant monitor help you monitor how your plants are growing, but it can also be combined with other projects, such as simply adding a USB port to a small solar panel to create an easy add-on.
Add a solar charging panel to the setup. (Source: hackaday.io)
If you are a person who loves planting, or a person who is interested in the Internet of Things and smart home, you might as well try to make this smart plant monitor. The designer Ovidiu provides a complete list of materials and required files , for public reference.
Hackaday.io is the world's largest collaborative hardware development community. It is a platform designed for hardware enthusiasts and developers, providing a space for them to share, learn and collaborate. The Hackaday Prize is a global hardware design challenge hosted by them, rewarding innovative projects that focus on a wide range of impact.
Smart Plant Monitor hackaday.io project page