Plants That Tweet When They’re Thirsty

Posted onJanuary 9, 2012 Edit on by Christopher Berry

A post made the rounds on HN over the weekend about a DIY kit that enables plants to tweet when they’re thirsty. You can read the post for yourself here.

Summary:

  • Order a kit for $99.95, do some sodering, and you’ll get a sensor in the shape of a leaf.
  • The sensor detects the relative dryness of the soil.
  • The sensor will send a signal that ultimately causes the plant to tweet you when it’s thirsty.

Editorial:

  • It’s a novel application of sensor technology + internet of things (IoT) + a social broadcasting utility.
  • It solves a practical problem that typically is solved by outloook reminders or having a Twilio App text you every two weeks.
  • It’s another case study on a very long path to mass consumer relevance, so, while the snickers are certainly appreciated and eyes are certainly rolling – at least these guys are doing something pretty fun…plant analytics?

Can you think of other uses for a sensor in your home?

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I’m Christopher Berry.
I tweet about analytics @cjpberry
I write at christopherberry.ca