|
TORONTO - Wilted, starving, thirsty houseplants could soon begetting more tender loving care thanks to a new plant sensor andapp that tells owners when it is time for watering and feeding. The Koubachi Wifi Plant Sensor, which is placed in the soil of thepotted plant, connects with a smartphone app that alerts users whenplants need watering, misting, fertilizer or more sun or shade. "There's very little information when you buy a plant. Most of thetime there's a little sticker that will say it needs a mediumamount of light and water every few days. But that's very rough anddoesn't apply for most plants," said Phillipp Bolliger, theinventor of the system and CEO of Koubachi AG, which is based inZurich, Switzerland. The sensor collects data such as soil moisture, light intensity andambient temperature, which is sent to the app, available for iOSdevices and through the web. Bolliger said water monitoring is particularly important. "Theproblem people run into most often is that they give too much water- that's the main cause of killing plants," he explained in aninterview. The data is used to customize care plans, delivered via the app,for more than 135 species of plants, including orchids, tomatoesand umbrella plants. The care plans were developed in conjunctionwith plant physiologists at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Institute ofTechnology. Bolliger said the plant care plans can be accessed through the appwithout purchasing a sensor, but they are more accurate when pairedwith it. "We run different experiments with a lot of different plant typesin the greenhouse," said Bolliger. "We have our experts assess thevitality of the plant. Then we verify our models given the actualexpert analysis of the plant's vitality." He added that it is not necessary to purchase a sensor, which costs100 euros ($125), for each plant because there is a multi-plantfeature that allows the system to learn the specifics of the plantin a few weeks, depending on the size of the plant. It will haveenough information to tailor the plant care plan and the sensor canthen be used in a different plant. The sensor, which took about three years to develop, can run formore than a year on a single set of batteries, according toBolliger. "It kind of resembles a stone that is in the plant," he said. The app, which is free, is available worldwide from the App Storein English and German and there are plans for French and Japaneseversions. The sensor is sold only online at store.koubachi.com. The companyis planning to expand its distribution to local retailers in theUnited States and Canada. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Wrinkle Removal Machine , Jet Peel Machine Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Diode Laser Hair Removal Machine.
Related Articles -
Wrinkle Removal Machine, Jet Peel Machine Manufacturer,
|
