IOT-Based Automated Aeroponics System

Aeroponics is a soilless method of growing plants in air with the assistance of water vapor or mist environment, using an enriched nutrient solution sprayed as a mist, in order to attain faster plant growth. One of the key ideas behind aeroponics is to keep the growth environment pest- and disease-free, so that the plants can grow faster and healthier. In this paper, we propose an automated aeroponics system in which we use sensors for measuring the temperature, humidity, pH value of water, and the light exposure in the environment where plants are grown. An LED grow light is used as source of light for photosynthesis instead of sunlight. The key irrigation apparatus is spray jet which is used to spray nutrient-mixed mist directly to the dense root system. The temperature sensor will sense the temperature of the environment, and if it exceeds beyond the threshold value, the cooling/ventilation system will compensate for it. Similarly, for humidity, the spray jet and a dehumidifier are used to stabilize the environment. The pH control mechanism will keep the pH value around 6.0. We are incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) for continuous monitoring of data, data analysis, and data logging. Data from each sensor are collected at regular intervals of time and are uploaded to a cloud for monitoring, followed by data analysis, for increased productivity. This data can be used to streamline the automation process, and also for other users to increase crop yield.