WTR.io

Inspiration

This was inspired by how it can be difficult to finish certain tasks. Sometimes, it's hard to get out of bed, and this machine allows us to finish a small task that can feel impossible. Additionally, for our forgetful friends, this handy machine allows a worry-free way to keep your plants alive. This will also help with the people who have busy schedules and are not always able to reach their plants in time to water them.

What it does

This is a remote-controlled machine that waters plants. It does this by having a stand that holds recycled cans and bottles, allowing people to reuse items they have around the house. The user selects a button from 1 to 7, representing an interval of 1 to 7 days (in the HackMerced code, it is in minutes as a way to speed up testing). The can has holes poked underneath it, working almost as a watering can. There is a cup/lid underneath the item that holds water, and it prevents the water from falling until a certain time. When that time is reached, the lid then moves to the side, allows water to fall, and then moves back into its original place. Additionally, there is an LCD screen that prints out WTR.io (so you know that it's WTR.io).

How we built it

We used an Arduino Uno R3 to build this. There is a stand that holds the can, and underneath it is a cup contraption that is connected to a servo motor. The servo moves side to side, allowing the cup to move away from the can that is holding water. We used an LCD display that prints out a message. There is also an infrared remote and sensor, which allow the code to run at different intervals based on personal choice.

Challenges we ran into

We had a difficult time creating a sturdy infrastructure for our creation, due to us not having access to the usual materials provided for building at HackMerced. Additionally, we had difficulties with the LCD screen, as we planned to print more than just WTR.io. We also had planned on creating a website, but we needed an Arduino Wifi or ethernet shield to create a website.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of how our project came out, and we learned a lot from it. For a first-time user's project, this gave us a great experience. We are very happy to go into HackMerced with nothing but an idea and come out two days later with a full-on project.

What we learned

We learned a lot about Arduino!

What's next for WTR.io

WTR.io may possibly be moving online in the future through an app or website. Additionally, it will be revamped with a sturdier design, allowing the stand and servo the hold up much better. Also, the underneath cup may be going up and down instead of side to side, and the LCD screen will be printing questions like "How many days before watering ?" and "Okay, on it :D".