Development of Smart Incubator Grow System for Plant

Abstract

In the current industrialized food production network, most food suppliers rely on large, mono-crop farms that grow massive amounts of a single product and ship it around the globe. Food may travel thousands of miles over the course of days, weeks, or even months before it reaches our tables. Not only is this system strain on the environment, and on the cost to the consumer, but it also affects the quality of the food we put in our bodies. The objective of this project is to design and develop a smart incubator grow system for plants by developing the open source hardware and software platforms for sensor-controlled hydroponic and aeroponic agriculture systems. Inside of this smart incubator, climate variables such as carbon dioxide, air temperature, humidity, dissolved oxygen, potential hydrogen, electrical conductivity, root-zone temperature, and more can be controlled and monitored. Usage specifications such as operational energy, water use, and mineral consumption can also be monitored and adjusted through electrical meters, flow sensors, and controllable chemical doses throughout the growth period. The complete set of conditions throughout a growth cycle produces unique phenotypic expressions, or physical qualities in different plants. Plants grown under different conditions may vary in colour, size, texture, growth rate, yield, flavour, and nutrient density. The system can be monitor and control through wireless connectivity technology