IoT & Robotics
Smart Irrigation Controller
Soil-moisture driven watering for the college garden, monitored over Wi-Fi.
The problem
Garden staff watered on a fixed schedule, wasting water after rain.
What we built
Capacitive soil sensors feed an ESP32 that opens a solenoid valve only when the soil is dry; readings go to a small dashboard.
Hardware
ESP32, capacitive moisture sensors, 12 V solenoid valve, relay module, 20 W solar panel.
Software
ESP-IDF firmware, MQTT, a small web dashboard.
Outcomes
About 35% less water used over six weeks of testing.
