Modular IoT-based Automated Hydroponic System

The growth of population and the rapid urbanization have demanded overproduction of food while reducing the water supply, increasing energy consumption, limiting the land, and augmenting the cost of food transportation. Moreover, overproduction comes with food waste and a negative impact on the ecosystem. As an alternative, urban farming has been proposed to mitigate this problem. It includes cultivating in rooftops and residential indoors. In this regard, this work proposes the development of an automatic modular and vertical hydroponic system capable to regulate the water flow, the artificial lights, and the pH of the water. The hydroponic system is made of modules which means the user can upgrade the system depending on the needs like higher production or space reconfiguration. Also, the hydroponic system implements Internet-of-Things to monitor and operate it remotely. A first prototype is presented, and the experimental results validate its potential applicability.