ROBOTIC MINI-GREENHOUSES AND INSTALLATIONS FOR GROWING AGRICULTURAL CROPS AT HOME

Abstract

The traditional system of agricultural production meets the needs less and less, forcing us to look for new ways and solutions. The Urban Farming movement is gaining more and more popularity around the world in its various manifestations and scales. From the device of farms for growing agricultural crops in urban conditions to small plants for growing flowers and herbs at home or in the office. In both cases, an important advantage is the automation and robotization of the process of growing plants, reducing the complexity of maintenance and minimal human participation. The article discusses the innovative directions of the development of city farming. The development of an installation for growing agricultural crops at home with a control system that provides automatic maintenance of optimal microclimate parameters on the Arduino platform is presented. The control system provides measurement of illumination, temperature and humidity of the air, as well as measures soil moisture and water level in the tank using sensors. A mathematical model is given for optimizing the parameters of the microclimate based on the physical processes of body and mass transfer. Expressions are given for determining the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide content in the installation. The conducted studies have shown the efficiency and effectiveness of the experimental installation. The use of robotic mini-greenhouses and installations for growing agricultural crops at home allows you to get fresh vegetables, berries and herbs all year round in an apartment or office, automating and reducing the complexity of the growing process.