ROVIGA: Model-Driven Soil Moisture Sensor for Internet-Connected Plant Pot

The soil moisture sensor provides numerical measurements to detect changes in soil moisture using an analog voltage output. This research aims to develop a capacitive sensor based on a statistical model to detect soil moisture for plant watering, leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT). The analysis was conducted using polynomial and linear regression models. The modeling process was based on primary gravimetric test results from dried soil. The best model coefficients, selected based on the highest adjusted R-squared value, were used for sensor recalibration. A watering system was then developed using an Arduino and a model-driven capacitive soil moisture sensor integrated into an internet-connected smart plant pot, enabling remote control via a mobile phone. The research findings indicate that the 8th-order polynomial model, with the highest adjusted R-squared value of 0.9583, is the most accurate. The smart watering system using the model-driven capacitive sensor achieved soil moisture prediction outcomes ranging from 0.08 to 1.01 for 150 to 418 sensor data points. The internet-connected smart plant pot allows precise and real-time control, delivering notifications and enabling actions when plants require watering.