Smart Eco Greenhouse VESNA

Recent challenges, including increasing global warming, reduction of carbon footprint, and limited resources of freshwater, enforce the implementation of smart solutions. This paper introduces the educational-oriented project VESNA (Versatile Simulator for Near-zero Emissions Agriculture, https://vesna.uiam.sk) focused on the development of a smart ecological greenhouse for micro-organic farming. This project provides an opportunity for students in the field of automation and control engineering to apply obtained theoretical knowledge and practical skills to monitor and control a real process. The prototype of the smart greenhouse is developed by the university students within the courses on both, bachelor's and master's levels. Moreover, the project emphasizes the soft-skills including teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students experienced a challenge to solve part of the project in a fully remote framework. The paper introduces detailed insight into the equipped hardware solution enabling both, autonomous and remote control of many controlled variables affecting the micro-climate inside the smart greenhouse. The educational goals, structure, and organization of the courses are also introduced. The detailed evaluation of the student's feedback on the proposed courses is analyzed to investigate the educational value and the benefits of the courses for the students.