Cyberponics

A fully automated greenhouse system

CTP/2017/001
What is Cyberponics?
 It is just a fantasy name that we have given to our project
 It is actually derived from the term Aeroponics
 Aeroponics is the system of growing plants without the need of soil
 The plant is hanged in air, and frequently sprayed with nutrient
solution
Why we need it?
 Change in climate patterns, infertility of soil, lack of space make
growing plants difficult
 Aeroponics is the science of growing crops without the use of soil in
controlled environment
 Minimize the space needed for plant growth
 Need low amount of water and nutrients
What are the challenges?
 Aeroponics systems are very difficult to maintain
 Water (moisture), air composition, humidity, temperature, light
intensity, PH level of nutrient solution should be constantly monitored
 For proper growth of the plant supply these essentials at exact dose
and exact time
How we are going to overcome those
challenges
 Use the key concept “Automation”
 Automate the monitoring of environmental conditions such as Water
(moisture), air composition, humidity, temperature, light intensity
and PH level of nutrient solution with suitable sensors
 Automatically control those condition by using suitable mechanism
when then are deviating away from optimum level of plant growth

E.g. - Adjust the pH level of the nutrient solution, spray the roots at
regular intervals, regulate the temperature by using fan and the
composition of the air by pumping gas in and out, light up LEDs when
the light intensity falls below in the greenhouse
Our Cyberponics System will include…
 The Root Chamber
(With temperature, humidity, air pressure, air composition, nutrient
composition, water level monitors and regulators)
 The Shoot Chamber
(With temperature, humidity, air pressure monitors and regulators)
 Web page and Mobile app interface
 Background and History
 In 1978, Isaac Nir described an aeroponic system that automated the
spraying of mist at the root of the plants and was one of the very
firsts of its kind
 In 1997, Richard Stoner II founded AgriHouse, an agri-biology
company, which along with research inputs from NASA produced the
Genesis Series Aeroponic System
 Aeroponic Growing System which was designed for potato production
by Irman Idris and Muhammad Ikshan Sani in 2012.
 An aeroponic system built by J.L.Reyes et al. was very similar to
project XGEN in a way that it included a greenhouse system to main
the atmosphere of the shoot system
 An aeroponic system developed by Jing Liu and Yunwei Zhang in 2013
was among the first systems to include a temperature regulator.
 An aeroponic system that could be used in the space was built by V.
Arenella et al. in 2016
 Muhammad Ikshan Sani et al. developed a similar system in 2016 that
allowed web-based monitoring, but a complete regulatory system was
absent.
 How we differ from others?
 By implementing fully automated-regular system
1. A regulatory system to regulate the pH and EC level of the nutrient
solution
2. Temperature regulation
3. Humidity regulation
4. Regulation of air pressure
5. A feedback mechanism to ensure the spraying system is not
malfunctioning
6. Carbon dioxide and oxygen regulation
7. A mechanism by which the growth of the plant can be monitored
8. Mold growth detection

9. The ability to manipulate the system through a mobile app or web

interface
 Monitoring and Regulation
Temperature Regulation
 The temperature regulator will consist of a temperature sensor, a
cooling system and a heating system. The cooling and heating system
will be constructed using a Peltier (thermos electric cooler).
Humidity Regulation
 The humidity regulator will be composed of a humidity sensor and a
humidifier. The humidifier will include an ultrasonic atomizer and air
pumps to deliver the produced mist.
 In addition, the humidifier will entail a sub-system to monitor the
water level within the humidifier. This system will make use of two
water level sensors.
Air Composition Regulation
 The air composition regulator will consist of a gas sensor that detects
the ppm value of different gaseous compounds, an oxygen chamber
and a carbon dioxide chamber.
 The two gas chambers will have their own sub-systems to monitor the
level of the respective gases within the chambers
Nutrient Composition Regulation
The nutrient composition regulator will consist of a pH sensor, pH up
solution, pH down solution, and a nutrient solution.
The pH up solution, pH down solution and the nutrient solution will be
delivered to the reservoir through a solenoid valve.
Water Level Regulation
The water level in the reservoir can be monitored using an ultrasonic
range finder. A solenoid valve will be used to supply water to the
reservoir.
Mold Growth Detection
The mold growth in the root can be detected using a color sensor.
Ultrasonic Mist Maker
 The mist needed for aeroponic can be generated using an ultrasonic
atomizer. The mist will be captured by a beehive bottle and the
captured mist will be sprayed at the root using an air pump.
 Mist (Fog) is used as, it can be easily absorbed by plant roots
How we test and evaluate our project?
 Two plants of the same kind will be used to test the aeroponic
system. One in aeroponic system while the other in the traditional
methods.
 The height of the plant can be measured using a scale to evaluate the
measurement produced by the ultrasonic range finder.
 The temperature can be read using a thermometer to evaluate the
accuracy of the temperature sensor.
 PH monitoring could be evaluated by comparing the data obtained by
the system with the pH value recorded using a pH paper
 A fungi culture could be introduced to the root to evaluate whether
the mold detector functions properly.
 Purposefully reducing the level of the pH up solution, pH down
solution and the nutrient solution, the functioning of the user warning
system can be evaluated.
What we are going to achieve finally?
 Enhanced automated-control green house system
 Increasing the efficiency in plant growth
 Real time monitoring of plant growth and reporting to the user
 Increasing the yield and productivity of plants