It's not always easy to find the time to research the ideal plants for your garden and then make sure they're given the attention they need to flourish. Edyn was developed to help users monitor and track environmental conditions in their garden, provide guidance on how conditions can be improved and water the plants automatically as required. The smart garden system comprises a sensor, a smart water-valve and a mobile app.
Company founder Jason Aramburu says Edyn was founded with the aim of helping people to better understand the environment. Aramburu studied ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, before working on projects in Panama’s rainforests and with farmers in Africa. Edyn, he says, draws on those experiences and the use of technology to try and help people create thriving gardens.
Central to the system is the Edyn Sensor, which is powered by rechargeable lithium-polymer battery topped up via integrated PV panels and connects to the "Edyn Cloud" via Wi-Fi. There, data from a user's garden can be analyzed and compared with a database of conditions in order to provide tailored guidance. The sensor measures temperature, humidity, light intensity and soil electrical conductivity, allowing a mobile companion app to report on factors such as soil moisture, nutrition and pH level.
Based on data from the sensor, the Edyn Cloud and the local weather forecast, the mobile app informs users what can be grown in their garden and how conditions can be optimized. It provides a snapshot of current conditions, allows users to drill down into more depth, with charts and graphs showing changes over time, and gives advice that is both specific to the user's garden and contextualized by its significance.
The Edyn Water Valve is also connected to the Edyn Cloud and, like the Sensor, sports a solar panel to help charge its rechargeable battery. It's reported compatible with most hose and sprinkler fittings and will automatically water the garden as required based on information relayed to it by the mobile app. Users can also control watering from the app manually.
Edyn is aiming to raise funds on Kickstarter to finalize engineering work for the system and for its first manufacturing run. Individuals can pledge an early bird rate of US$79 to receive a. Edyn Sensor, or $159 for both Sensor and Water Valve. Assuming all goes to plan, delivery is scheduled to start in March 2015.
The video below provides an introduction to Edyn.
Sources: Edyn, Kickstarter