Design and Implementation of IoT System for Aeroponic Chamber Temperature Monitoring

Abstract

Urban farming lifestyle has gained traction in recent years as society started to pay more attention to the quality of the product being consumed. Aeroponic is one of the urban farming techniques which employs air as the growing medium. Aeroponic allows a significant reduction in water usage with increased productivity as compared to hydroponic or conventional farming. However, optimum aeroponic farming requires precise control of the cultivation environment. This work presents a design and implementation of a lab-scale aeroponic system that employs the Internet of Things (IoT) for online and automated monitoring capability. An aeroponic system that consists of a growth chamber and a root chamber was built for 6 vegetable plants. The root chamber was designed as a closed and dark space resembling that of the soil. The temperature in this chamber was carefully monitored by using the DHT-11 sensor connected to the internet through the Wemos-D1-mini integrated microprocessor and Wifi module. Actuators, i.e. a Peltier cell, fans, and mist makers were placed to control the temperature and to supply nutrients to the roots. Considering the ideal growth environment for the plant, the required temperature was in the range of 25-30°C with a humidity level above 60%. The chamber was placed indoor with a certain exposure to sunlight where the recorded temperature variation was from 29-32.9°C. Application of a simplified temperature control system with 2 set points at 25°C and 29°C successfully decreased the root chamber temperature to an average of 28.8°C, ideal for vegetable plant growth.