Intent 3 – Eli F

I want to make a plant control an intelligent vehicle.

The function of this vehicle will be to drive around a plant to get all the resources it needs to not only survive, but prosper. These resources include water, sunlight, air, and human compassion. To achieve these conditions the vehicle will be equipped with sensors such as ultrasonic, light sensor, temperature and a few others. These sensors would allow the plant to detect soil moisture, temperature, and human interaction. These sensors along with advanced programming would give this plant a sense of self awareness. The plant will be able to detect if it needs water, evaluate how much energy it would take to get the water and achieve its goal if it deems it important.
This plant would become a basic ai system. It would learn where to get water, where the sunny places are in the building and how to find a human companion. These decisions would lead to the plant living a much fuller life than a plant would spends it like on a shelf ignored. It will be interesting to see if this plant would grow faster than its dormant counterpart.

This robot would show people that plants like all living organisms need certain resources to survive. Plants can’t live in a world that is polluted and toxic. Hopefully seeing a plant drive around the IMRC for example would make people think about the future of the environment more than if they just saw a plant on a shelf.
Budget:

Arduino: $20
Wood: $8
Laser time: $10
Motors: $40
Motor Shield: $30
Proto shield: $10
Plant: $5
10 hours to program = $200