Project Thesis

This handheld device can give our clients an easy way to monitor the health of their soil, while keeping low costs, and giving valuable data.

؜Why?

؜

؜We hope to use Klamp to monitor the soil health so that they can treat the soil based on the results. This will also make the plants healthier and bigger without using GMO.

We worked with Christine from Morning Glory Farm in Maine. During our first introduction she informed us that she hadn't tested her soil in an extended period of time, mainly because the previous way she would took a long time.

Systems Diagram

Precedents -- Soil Health Monitor

Isopods - Mother Earth

6 in 1 Soil Test - Plant Care Tools

Chemical Soil Test - Rapitest

Prototype (Sketch)

Prototype 3D Concept

Client Feedback

Prototypes

Website

Sketch

؜Final

Final Code

User Interaction Plan

Next Steps

؜1. Connect the Monitor to the website in order to get more precise accurate data.

2. Create multiple- make user interaction primarily online.

3. Clean up the design- to be more compact.

Feedback

Project Thesis

؜ Our project is an smart automatic irrigation system that uses the amount of rainfall in tandem with the soil moisture levels to deliver pin point accurate irrigation.Our client currently has no way to read her soil moisture level or get an exact measurement on how much she's watering. On the website we created, the plants above or below the ideal soil moisture level are highlighted red. Christine can also see how much rain fell in the last day.

Precedents

Looks like Precedents

Works like Precedents

؜Traditional Precedents

Systems Diagram

؜Proposed solution

After meeting with Christine for the first time, we decided to work on water consumption efficiency and cutting down on labor.

We were considering a snow collection system.

Client interaction 1

Client interaction 2

Talking to Christine for a second time we decided to focus on an automatic irrigation system with cost in mind.

To save money, we're using the existing irrigation system and adding only automation and data collection.

User Interaction Plan

؜ Initial prototypes

User interation platform

Prototypes

Mosture sensor prototype

Final project and pump

Soil mostuire sensor and rain gauge with automatic dumper

Next Steps

؜Activate the servo system

Integrate and test the system into the actual farm

Create database for rainfall

Make the entire system wireless

Project Thesis

؜My project is about making a device that turns off and on a fan when the high tunnel gets to a certain temperature so that the plants don't overheat. I am doing this by using a Arduino and a BMP280 temperature sensor.

During the summer the high tunnel gets really hot which makes the plants over heat and become dehydrated.

Systems Diagram

Precedents

temperature sensor connected to Arduino

mist fan

؜Proposed Solution

mist

Sketch

؜Electronic ؜Prototypes

digital prototypes

Next Steps

2. change how the graph looks

1. change how fast it reads the temperature.

3. make it so that the graph only resets after 24 hours (at the end of the day)

Questions?

Project Thesis

؜

1. At the morning glory farm, the starling bird gets into the chicken coop and eats the chicken food which causes them to loose money due to the lack of food because the starling birds take it. I created a treadle and an ai that can detect a starling bird and a couple others. The starling is a migratory bird and started appearing at the farm in the past 3-4 years due to climate change.

Precedents

Treadle

Tube Chicken Feeder

؜Trail Camera

Systems Diagram

Interview 1:

In the first interview we asked about problems with the chicken coop, these problems included:

1. Predators (Our first idea came from this problem)
2. Cold temperatures
3. Frozen Water
4. Starling birds (The problem I focused on)

Iteration of Ideas

؜Proposed Solution

؜My idea would keep the smaller birds, like starlings, from getting the chicken food with the system keeping lighter weights from opening up the chicken food and being too high up for the smaller birds even if they do open it. The camera would also detect the starling birds.

Prototypes

Interview 2:

During the Second interview I showed her my idea for the detection of the starling birds. She said that she liked it but she knew when the starling birds were in the coop so we had to find an idea that would physically keep the Starling birds out of the feed. This is where I found the treadle.

Prototypes of the treadle:

Timeline:

Next Steps

؜figure out problems with feeder and test it out on the farm.

1. test how much feed can go into one treadle
2. would the starlings be able to open it somehow
3. will the chickens be able to open it?
4. find other problems

Feedback

Similar Systems

trail camera

ring doorbell

Why Mine is better

؜1. Specific Bird detection

2.could be connected to solar Panel

3.will only send notifications if starling bird is detected

4.May play a deterring noise to scare of the Starling birds

both detect any movement

No Special AI systems

Cant Detect Specific birds

will only send you notification if it senses any type of movement

Feedback

؜What do you think of the idea?

Is it helpful?

Would it be worth it?

Does the farm need it?

Project Thesis

؜At the farm one of the issues in the chicken coop were that other birds, like starling birds go into the coop and eat lots of the chicken food. This is bad for the farm because it makes the food run out faster which causes the farm to spend more money then needed on the chicken food.

Precedents

Roomba

؜trail camera

؜Ring Doorbell

Systems Diagram

Proposed Solution

؜ My Project is about monitoring the chicken coop using a Camera with a built in AI that I will create with code that will detect when another bird gets into the chicken coop. We will implement a system in the camera that when it detects the bird it will play a deterring sound that will scare away the sterling bird. It will also send some kind of notification (Email, Text, Message) to the farmer so that they can deal with the situation.

Sketches

Prototypes

User Interaction Plan

؜Users will interact with the AI/robot by getting notified via email/message and taking action when needed. Making sure the camera is working correctly too.

8.30 - 10 AM

10.15 - 11.30 AM

In Studio Break

Lunch

11.30 AM - 12.30 PM

12.30 - 1.30 PM

Monday

؜Tuesday

؜Friday

؜Wednesday

؜Thursday

Project Calendar

Presentation

؜

؜

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜presiontations

8.30 - 10 AM

10.15 - 11.30 AM

In Studio Break

Lunch

11.30 AM - 12.30 PM

12.30 - 1.30 PM

Monday

؜Tuesday

؜Friday

؜Wednesday

؜Thursday

Project Calendar

؜work more on prototypes

؜

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

؜work further on prototypes

Next Steps

work further on prototypes, and building the code to send emails/message. figuring out how to build the console and also how to connect the AI to a camera.

Feedback

Project Thesis

؜Our project is an automatic irrigation system that uses rainfall and moisture sensors to deliver the exact amount of water needed to hydrate the plants. We chose this project because Christine said she wanted an automatic irrigation system. To do this, we will use a rain gauge and a buoy on a linear pramator to detect how much water has fallen. Next we use a moisture sensor in the soil to deliver the correct amount of water from the hose with a built in pump.

Precedents

Looks like Precedents

Works like Precedents

؜Traditional Precedents

Systems Diagram

Proposed Solution

؜This helps the environment by saving unnecessary water when the quota has been reached, which is one inch per week we

are also hydrating the plants, which is necessary for them

We will be using AI to send the sensors outputs and we are using AI to allow them to read each other. The sensors also use AI to deliver an output to the hose.

Compartive anlysis

Soil moisture sensors $72

Water level sensor $5

Servos $100

؜Price

؜Traditional automatic irrigation system cost $2,000-$4,500

؜Smart

؜Our system uses combined data from the moisture sensor and the rain level sensor to give you a pinpoint accurate amount of water in the soil. Other auto irrigation systems do not make informed decisions. They certainly do not have the same accuracy as ours. This smart irrigation systems only uses the water that plants need saving water and helping the ecosystem.

System

Prototypes

Mosture sensor prototype

Cleaning out segical tubing

Symutalting rain fall to test a desgin aspect of the rain gauge

Prototypes

Pest detection using teachable machine

CAD'ing the rain gauge

؜Testing the Rain gauge

Prototypes

؜Making a bouy system

؜New CAD for rain guage

User Interaction Plan

8.30 - 10 AM

10.15 - 11.30 AM

In Studio Break

Lunch

11.30 AM - 12.30 PM

12.30 - 1.30 PM

Monday

؜Tuesday

؜Friday

؜Wednesday

؜Thursday

Project Calendar

Present Midterm Presentations

Sythesis Feedback

؜Practice the Mid term presentation and set up funnel for basic raingauge

Continue prototyping Rain gauge system whith the funnel

Present to Cristian our project Proposal

؜3D print new rain gauge after we update its design

Test the rain gauge

؜Think about the hose with the spiget and sketch gereral ideas

Create a spigot and work on the hose system with the segical tubing/ figure out all the factors of the hose part.

Finalize the bouy system design

Stat the bulind process of it

؜Compete and test it

؜map out where the sensors are going to go and how the rain gauge will be mounted

Continue problem fixing and full profing

And then start figuring out electronics

8.30 - 10 AM

10.15 - 11.30 AM

In Studio Break

Lunch

11.30 AM - 12.30 PM

12.30 - 1.30 PM

Monday

؜Tuesday

؜Friday

؜Wednesday

؜Thursday

Project Calendar

؜Time to work on things we may be behind on

Time to work on things we may be behind on

Code the rain gauge sensor

Code the rain gauge sensor

؜Code the soil moisture sensor

؜Code the soil moisture sensor

؜Code the soil moisture sensor

Code everything back to the brain

Code everything back to the brain

Work on a user interface set up

Work on a user interface set up

Fix any tweaks

Set up actual curcit

Water proofing

Final presentation work

Final presnetation work

Feedback

؜How do you think we could improve the user platform?

Do you have any other ideas for us?

Do you have any good spots to put the rain gauge?

How many rows do you have?

How does your preexisting irrigation system work?

Do you have a good place for a rain gauge?

Location

Studio Overview

؜Climate change is reshaping ecosystems, food systems, and the ways communities relate to land. At the same time, artificial intelligence is becoming a powerful tool that can help us observe, analyze, and respond to environmental challenges. But AI is never neutral — every dataset, every model, and every decision reflects values. This studio explores how we can design AI tools that are technically functional, ecologically grounded, and ethically responsible.

Ecologically Grounded

Ethically Responsible

AI Tool

Technically Functional

Studio Client: Morning Glory Farm, West Bethel, Maine

؜In partnership with Morning Glory Farm, an independent CSA organic farm in West Bethel, Maine, students will investigate real ecological challenges faced by small farms: soil health, pest detection, water management, crop monitoring, biodiversity, and energy use. They will design AI-assisted tools that support sustainable and regenerative farm practices while honoring ecological wisdom and systems-thinking.

Studio Overview Continued

؜Students will collect their own datasets (images, sensor readings, audio clips) or use open environmental datasets, build simple machine learning models using beginner-friendly tools (Teachable Machine, Google Colab, Micro:bit/Arduino sensors), and prototype ecological monitoring or decision-support systems that could be used on our client farm.

Collect Data

Train a Machine Learning Model

Prototype Ecological Monitoring/ Decision Support Systems

Studio Overview Continued

؜Throughout the studio, we explore ecological intelligence — the ability to recognize interdependence, act with ecological humility, and design technologies aligned with the wellbeing of land, people, and nonhuman communities.The final outcome is a working prototype with an ecological systems-impact map and an ethical/philosophical reflection. In alignment with NuVu’s design process, students will iterate on ideas, test models, analyze failures, and critically reflect on the consequences (intended and unintended) of using AI in real ecological contexts.

Ethically...

Working Prototype

Systems Map

Ethical/Philosophical Reflection

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8.30-10

10.15-11.30

12.30-1.30

Studio Introduction

G4G

Dec 1

Dec 2

Dec 3

Dec 4

Dec 5

L U N C H

Client Meet

Teachable Machine

Ecosophy + Client Introduction

Systems Map

Data Analysis

Find your Partner

Farm Data Sources

Project Brainstorming

Client Interview Questionnaire

Desk Critics

؜Research

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8.30-10

10.15-11.30

12.30-1.30

Mid Review Presentations

G4G

Dec 8

Dec 9

Dec 10

Dec 11

Dec 12

L U N C H

Project Proposals

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8.30-10

10.15-11.30

12.30-1.30

Studio Introduction

G4G

Dec 15

Dec 16

Dec 17

Dec 18

Dec 19

L U N C H

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8.30-10

10.15-11.30

12.30-1.30

Final Presenttations

Jan 5

Jan 6

Jan 7

Jan 8

Jan 9

L U N C H

Community Agreement

؜Do's:

From students:

1. During Community Circle time, everyone in class should be part of the circle (in center of the room)
2. Laptops to be used only on desks kept towards the walls

From coach:

1. Give clear instructions, and support students whenever necessary
2. Bring snacks to class sometime.

Ethically...

؜Dont's:

From students:

1. Using phones during class time
2. Disturbing others
3. Invading someone else's personal space

From coach: