Solar Stands
My prototype, “Solar Stands”, is an attachment to the bottom of potted plants that reports water levels, sun exposure, and mineral content. The user of this prototype would be a potted plant of any size. The attachment is encased in solar paneling that collects energy from the sun to help power its LED display and screen. The goal behind this device is to have a useful plant wearable that is fully self-powered. Since potted plants cannot verbally communicate their needs to humans, Solar Stands would help bridge this lapse in communication. A small LED light indicates if the plant is low on water. The device also contains a LED display with a small button to change display modes between sun exposure levels, number of days since watering, and mineral content information.
My prototype would be relatively feasible because it uses technology that has already existed for several years. This idea would be particularly appealing to busy plant owners and homes with many plants spread throughout the house with different watering schedules and sun exposures. By allowing the plant’s vitals to be saved and displayed, plants would be able to communicate their needs more easily to receive proper care. The prototype was constructed using cardboard and graph paper to represent the solar paneling. A small LED is placed on the front of the prototype and the “LED display” is represented by a cardboard display on the back.
To test how the plant stand might collect rays of light, I shined a lamp from above to see how different angles of light would hit the actual plant versus its solar-paneled base. I also placed the plant outside under direct sunlight to see if shadows cast from the plant itself would prevent its panels from collecting energy. As a result of this testing, possible improvements include modifying the shape of the base to increase its sun-exposed surface area, thus increasing the amount of energy it can collect. This would be necessary if the panels on the current model do not generate enough power for the LED light and the plant health display screen. Another possible change might be including a backup battery at the bottom of the stand for plants that are housed in areas with very little light to power the display. In the future, I would like to improve my design process by testing sun exposure with different sizes of pots. This would help me better understand how the total surface area of sun-exposed solar paneling can vary based on plant size.
For the digital adaption of my prototype, I chose to incorporate some of my peer’s feedback and make the base of the stand slanted. This change would ideally allow for a more stable bottom that would prevent plants from falling over as easily when this stand is attached. The bronze-colored top of the model attaches to the bottom of potted plants and has a probe with sensors to collect information on the soil’s mineral content and moisture levels.
I incorporated voice interaction for my prototype to allow users to check in on their plants without using their hands. This could be useful if they were in the process of watering and were holding a can of water. Incorporating a VUI could also be helpful for users with visual impairments that prevent using visual cues to see if a plant’s leaves are dry. They could allow the speaker to walk them through instructions and deliver a full report of various plant health diagnostics depending on the user’s query. If the user owns multiple stands, the speaker can handle reports of the entire network or on a specific plant, if addressed by name.
Solar Stand VUI Sample Dialogs
User: “Solara, how are my plants doing?”
Solara: “Your plants are all healthy with one critical alert and one warning.”
User: “What is my critical alert?”
Solara: “Spider Plant 2 has low water levels and hasn’t had water in three weeks.”
User: “What is my warning?”
Solara: “Succulent 3 is due for a fertilizer replacement in the next week.”
User: “Solara, what are Spider Plant 2’s water levels?”
Solara: “Spider Plant 2 is at 5% water and needs about 6 ounces of water.”
User: “Solara, tell me a report for my plants.”
Solara: “Which plant do you want a report for?”
User: “Money Tree.”
Solara: “Money Tree has been watered within the last week. Money gets enough sun exposure and does not need new fertilizer until December.
User: “Solara, how much water do my Mint Plants need?”
Solara: “Do you want recommended water levels for Mint Plant 1, Mint Plant 2, or both?”
User: “Both.”
Solara: “Mint Plant 1 needs 2 ounces of water and Mint Plant 2 needs 3 ounces of water.
User: “Solara, do my plants need watering?”
Solara: “Yes, three plants need water today. Would you like to know which ones?
User: “Yes.”
Solara: “Mint Plant 1, Money Tree, and Succulent 1 need water.”
User: “How much water do you recommend for Money Tree?”
Solara: “I recommend 5 ounces of water of Money Tree.”
Solar Stand VUI Example Flows
