NEW YORK (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- House plants look good, brighten a room, produce oxygen, purify indoor air, eliminate noxious gases and reduce carbon monoxide levels. So why do so many of us forget to water them? Now, there may be a solution to solve that problem. Thirsty plants can now let you know they need water.
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Knowing what your plants need isn't always this simple. For most of us, it's more of a guessing game. Phyllis Bilowich believes her porch plants like sharing her morning cup of joe.
"The hibiscus has grown taller than me," Bilowich told Ivanhoe. "I contribute that to the coffee."
Now she can not only see the results, but Phyllis' plants can tell her exactly what they need. A new system called Botanicalls, developed by interactive telecommunications researchers, allows your plants to send "tweets," or short text messages, to your mobile phone or messages to the Internet.
"They'll recognize when they've been watered, and they'll say thank you, and they'll also let you know if you've over-watered or under-watered," Botanicalls developer Katie London told Ivanhoe.
Botanicalls researchers have created units with a soil-moisture sensor.
"We have a little micro-controller unit that's basically a little computer that's hooked up to your plant," developer Kate Hartman told Ivanhoe.
Probes in the soil send out electrical waves. Based on amount of moisture in the soil, a voltage level is sent through two wires to a circuit board that compares current moisture levels to the optimum moisture level. This data is received by a local network, which allows the plant to send a message for help.
"We decided to tap into existing communication systems and allow them to talk like people," Hartman said.
Not only is it for growing botanists -- it's also for budding engineers. Each device has to be assembled from basic parts.
Each Botanicalls kit is $99. Developers say it's worth it if you like your plants but don't always remember to take care of them. The new kit is the third generation of the Botanicalls system. The team is continuing to innovate and hopes to make it smaller, cheaper and easier to use.
House plants look good, brighten a room, produce oxygen, purify indoor air, eliminate noxious gases and reduce carbon monoxide levels. So why do so many of us forget to water them?
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