Machine to Automate Soil Humidity Variation during Multiple, Co-Occurring, Climatic-Variable, Plant-Growth Experiments

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dc.contributor.authorArata, Reika
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-18T21:49:58Z
dc.date.available2017-12-18T21:49:58Z
dc.date.issued2016-05
dc.descriptionM.S. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2016.
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.
dc.description.abstractBy monitoring plant growth in an automated, controlled environment, the plant’s response to changing climate conditions can be revealed to a greater degree of understanding and precision than current knowledge. Observing these responses with respect to changes in temperature, humidity, and amount of carbon dioxide and ozone can help us understand, predict, and mitigate factors related to climate change. The overall goal of this research is to introduce an Intelligent Plant System (IPS) that measures plant growth while automatically controlling the multiple climatic variables mentioned previously with stronger operational reliability, increased capability, reduced cost, reduced complexity, and reduced form factor when compared to similar devices on the market. In the course of this thesis, the weighing and watering system of an automated soil humidity machine is developed. The machine can study 100 plants simultaneously – 10 different humidity treatments with 10 replicates per treatment. Soil humidity is determined by mass measurement. Target weights for a plant-pot combination are created for 10 different weight groups by users. Each pot is maintained at the target mass, and thus target soil humidity, throughout each study by replenishing any lost mass with water. This thesis describes the theoretical design of the machine, in Solidworks, the manufacturing of the machine, the software development for the sensors and motors, and the results of measurement outputs. Ultimately, a machine is realized that automatically maintains a plant-pot’s mass within a standard deviation of +/- 1 g.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/51313
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher[Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [May 2016]
dc.relationTheses for the degree of Master of Science (University of Hawaii at Manoa). Mechanical Engineering
dc.subjectPhenotyping
dc.subjectMachine designing
dc.subjectAutomation
dc.subjectReliable
dc.titleMachine to Automate Soil Humidity Variation during Multiple, Co-Occurring, Climatic-Variable, Plant-Growth Experiments
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText

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