Team Name
Encapsulated Gardening Grounds (EGG)
Timeline
Spring 2025 – Summer 2025
Students
- David Denny – Computer Engineering
- Samuel Horn – Computer Science
- Kaitlin Martin – Computer Science
- Chanuthi Subasignhage – Software Engineering
- Khoi Tran – Computer Science
Abstract
The EGG is a product that aims to make crop cultivation more accessible and sustainable by automating essential tasks and providing real-time feedback. Users gain insight into the conditions of their crops, receive tailored advice for maintenance, and maintain full control over the system remotely. Whether used in a personal home, urban apartment, or educational setting, the EGG empowers individuals to manage their own agriculture with minimal resources and technical knowledge.
Background
The Encapsulated Gardening Grounds, otherwise known as the EGG, is a self-contained gardening system paired with an interactive desktop application. Each EGG unit features a soil-based growing environment equipped with sensors formonitoring temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and soil nutrient contents, considering the Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium contents of the soil. These readings are logged locally and can be reviewed through a web interface hosted by the unit itself. A small pump and irrigation system—triggered automatically or manually via the application’s interface—ensures proper hydration of crops. Additionally, the control of fans enables humidity control for the encapsulated grounds. The system is optimized for short-root plants and designed to be space-efficient, making it ideal for indoor or limited-space environments.
Project Requirements
- Sensor Monitoring
The system shall monitor soil moisture, temperature, and humidity at regular intervals (e.g., once per minute). - Data Logging
The system shall log all sensor data to an SD card in CSV format for long-term storage and analysis. - Automated Irrigation
The system shall automatically activate a water pump based on soil moisture thresholds. - Manual Control with Desktop Web Interface
Users shall be able to manually activate or deactivate the irrigation system through a locally hosted HTML interface. - Wi-Fi Connectivity
The system shall host a local web server over Wi-Fi using the Arduino R4 UNO WiFi. - Power Efficiency
The system shall operate with low power consumption suitable for continuous use, possibly via battery or wall power. - Usability
The web interface shall be simple, intuitive, and accessible via browser on common devices (phones, tablets, computers). - Enclosure Compatibility
The system shall fit within a compact, enclosed structure suitable for short-root crops and small-scale growing. - Environmental Resilience
Sensors and electronics shall remain functional under varying indoor humidity and temperature levels. - Budget Compliance
The complete system (hardware + materials) shall not exceed the $800 initial project budget.
Design Constraints
- Cost / Economic
The project is limited to an initial $800 budget, impacting component selection and encouraging use of affordable, off-the-shelf parts. - Manufacturability
The system must be easy to assemble using common tools and materials. Design choices favor components that support quick prototyping and reproducible construction. - Functionality
Core functions (automated irrigation, sensor monitoring, data logging, and user control) must operate reliably with minimal maintenance and local-only connectivity. - Sustainability
The system minimizes water and energy use, favors reusable materials, and supports environmentally conscious indoor agriculture practices. - Timing:
All design, testing, and deployment must be completed by August 2025, requiring phased development with early delivery of core features.
Engineering Standards
- C. E. A. Alliance Standards 2023, “Commodity specific food safety guidelines for controlled environment agriculture”
- HATWG, “HTML living Standard,”
- IEC12207, “Iso/iec/ieee international standard 12207-2017 – systems and software engineering – software life cycle processes”
System Overview
The EGG has various systems that interact with each other to achieve functionality. The product can be broken down into 4 base systems that interact with each other in intuitive ways. These systems are as follows: Sensors, Desktop Application/Software, Physical Materials and Build, and Hardware/Automation.
The combined usage of these systems enables the EGG to run as desired.
Results
The resulting product appears as a functional growing environment for indoor and urban environments. The EGG showcases a hybrid of software and hardware to facilitate small-scale crop growth.
Future Work
The vast majority of the client’s features were successfully realized in the creation of the Encapsulated Gardening Grounds. This includes the physical assembly, requisite sensors and hardware, and control of the EGG with an associated desktop application. The following future goals are outlined below, showcasing further improvements that can be made to the client’s current solution:
- Fully remote work: Allow the EGG to be viewed and controlled away from the EGG’s local network.
- Full NPK Support: Allow the EGG to properly interpret nutritional values from the top assembly’s soil.
- Grow Lights: Add additional hardware to use and control grow lights when sunlight exposure to the EGG’s crops is suboptimal.
Project Files
Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster
