Hi,
My name is Ian Fejtek. I am an aerospace engineer with over 30 experience in the commercial aircraft industry. In addition to my love of aviation, I have a passion for and a fascination of technology, digital electronics, and IoT (Internet of Things). Additionally I have an appreciation for the physical and mental benefits of indoor plants.
Over the years I have lost a number of plants due to under-, or more likely, over-watering, usually due to forgetting to water!
I was then well-motivated to tap into my passions and skills to develop SMARTePLANTS and SMARTePROBE. I have built 7 SMARTePLANTS prototypes over the last couple of years. They are proving to be amazing, reliable devices for fully automating plant watering care. Depending on whether one or three plants are being monitored and watered, the 4-liter water reservoir provides several weeks to 3-4 months of completely automated optimal watering care.
Many plant owners (eg. “plant parents”) enjoy the watering process, so the automated watering is not of interest to everyone. Many people with their busy, multitasking lives, would benefit from an automated reminder when to optimally water their plants. SMARTePROBE fills this need beautifully.
I developed SMARTePROBE using the latest technology microcontroller (MCU) technology to create a wifi-enabled moisture sensor/probe that notifies by email when it is time to water the plant! It takes the uncertainty out of plant care. SMARTePROBE is water-resistant so it also works for outside plants that are within range of your wifi router! The 10 prototypes are proving to be accurate, reliable, and robust wifi moisture sensors, notifying plant owners when it is time to water.
I’d be keen to talk to anyone who thinks this might be a handy device, would like more information, would like to be informed of future availability, and/or may have ideas regarding features it should have to make it useful for you, etc.