Event Title
Ecocentric Watering System
Collaborator(s)
Louis Cloutier, Matthew Hinkamp, Anthony Leblanc
Faculty Sponsor
Kim D. Jovanovich
College(s)
College of Engineering
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Description
Only three percent of all of the Earth’s water is naturally freshwater and the demand for freshwater is only increasing each year. The International Food Policy and Research Institute estimates that by the year 2025, farmers will actually struggle to meet the world’s growing food demands given that the ongoing freshwater depletion continues. This project addresses the issue of wasting water in irrigation by using moisture sensing technology along with a continuous weather data feed to optimize the output of water in gardening and farming. This ecocentric watering system will minimize the amount of water that is wasted in irrigation as opposed to watering systems that simply use timers or are manually operated. The main components in the design of the system are moisture sensors that are placed in soil, solenoid valves that control the flow of water to the soil, a flow meter that determines the amount of water the system uses, and a microcontroller with internet capability that is programmed to operate the system. At this time, the construction of the prototype of the system is underway and will soon be able to demonstrate preliminary operation.
Ecocentric Watering System
Only three percent of all of the Earth’s water is naturally freshwater and the demand for freshwater is only increasing each year. The International Food Policy and Research Institute estimates that by the year 2025, farmers will actually struggle to meet the world’s growing food demands given that the ongoing freshwater depletion continues. This project addresses the issue of wasting water in irrigation by using moisture sensing technology along with a continuous weather data feed to optimize the output of water in gardening and farming. This ecocentric watering system will minimize the amount of water that is wasted in irrigation as opposed to watering systems that simply use timers or are manually operated. The main components in the design of the system are moisture sensors that are placed in soil, solenoid valves that control the flow of water to the soil, a flow meter that determines the amount of water the system uses, and a microcontroller with internet capability that is programmed to operate the system. At this time, the construction of the prototype of the system is underway and will soon be able to demonstrate preliminary operation.
Comments
5th place, Oral/Film Presentation