3rd draft of final project idea for Physical Computing Project class, 2016

1. FinalProjectIdea
MyTalkingTOmatoes
Christine McGahhey • Phys. Comp. Proj. • 11.2.2016

2. Plantskeepyouhealthyandhappy
● Some people are afraid of
having house plants because
they don’t want to kill
them. But this worry is
keeping you from all of the
benefits plants provide!
● Having plants in your home
decreases chances of
depression, allergies,
getting sick and gives you
better air quality. They
also can keep you company
and brighten up any room
that you live in.

3. Don’tusetheinternetandbasic“How-To”guidesalone
People try to learn how to care for plants by
reading or looking for help online after it’s
already too late. While people make jokes about it
constantly, there is a desire to know how to do it
properly.
Don’t be afraid of caring for plants any longer,
and don’t find it boring or think of it as a chore,
but as a fun daily part of life and a connection
that you get to have with nature in the digital
age.

4. CombiningPlantsandTechnology
● Add sensors to a special pot
for a plant to go in, to
monitor its health and let
you know when it needs your
help
● Creates a virtual “profile”
of your plant to communicate
with you
● Connect the pot and the
mobile device together using
bluetooth
● When something seems to be
wrong (water, temperature,
etc.) it will text you

5. TheTechnologyExistsalready,butcanbeusedinnewways
Smart pots, gardening guides, and digital plant games are already on the market but are not being utilized together.
These also encourage the pot to do all the work for you, so people don’t actually learn how to care for them
themselves and only let technology do the work, or the plant is digital and users may feel no strong connection to
them. But giving a digital personality to a plant may make it feel more connected and give motivation to care for it.

6. Sensor for
moisture and
temperature
Sends you a text
when there’s a
problem. Personality
depends on what you
want it to be like.
Water me, dummy
2Parts:Pot(Hardware)andMobileDevice(software)

7. CultivatearelationshipandVegetables
Create a more personal connection to your plant and feel as
though it needs you to care for it, because it does. Instead
of wondering what it needs let your plant tell you, and
thank you when you do a good job.
Don’t just grow tomatoes, grow a relationship with your
plant and a connection to nature in a modern way.

8. MyTalkingTomatoesisanewwayforyourplantto
communicateitsneedstoyoubeforeit’stoolate
● Grove moisture sensor inside
of the pot sends a signal to
the arduino when the soil is
too dry. Then the bluetooth
translates and relays that
message to you as a text.
● Always know when your plant
is in trouble and needs some
TLC and learn how to care
for it on your own

9. Moisture Sensor Arduino Translate into text
Sent to computer
via Bluetooth Text sent to owner
Plant gets watered

10. TimelineDraft
November - Test out moisture sensor with a buzzer and bluetooth signals
separately.
Week 1: Order parts and look up tutorials
Week 2-3: Connect moisture sensor to buzzer and LCD screen
Week 4: Begin programming bluetooth
December - Try to connect them so that they work together and fabricate a nice
pot for the exhibition.
Week 1: Connect bluetooth to messenger
Week 2: Fabricate the pot to make it look polished and buy tomato plant