Custom IoT, Firmware, and Mobile Development for “KORU” Smart Plant Pot

Client Profile

Botany Labs is a consumer electronics startup based out of Barcelona, Spain. The company is focused on creating IoT-enabled consumer electronics products centered around plant care, with their flagship product being “KORU” - a smart plant pot and air purifier.

Challenge

Founded in 2020, Botany Labs was formed around the unique goal of developing IoT-based consumer electronics for plant care and air purification. The company wanted to create a product that would allow consumers to control, monitor, and analyze the health of their plants through a mobile app that’s connected to a smart plant pot.

While the startup had strong internal expertise in plant care and certain technologies, they required highly advanced and specific software/hardware development knowledge to create an MVP and bring their product to market.

Botany Labs’ desired smart plant pot and air purifier product required expertise across the following technologies:

• IoT
• Cloud
• Mobile
• Hardware

Specifically, the MVP needed to possess the following functionalities:

• Hardware device with multiple cloud-connected sensors;
• Sensors with the ability to automatically store and transmit collected data to the cloud
• Mobile applications for iOS and Android for users to remotely control, analyze, and monitor the device

SOLUTION

The project’s deep-level technical requirements were one of the main reasons why Botany Labs chose SaM Solutions, due to our expertise in IoT, mobile, cloud, and embedded technologies.

Because the project spanned numerous technologies, it was divided into two separate outputs: software and hardware.

The software work stream consisted of the following:

• Architecture design
• Firmware
• Embedded
• Cloud configuration
• iOS and Android development
• Backend configuration
• System testing

The prototyping of hardware components was undertaken in partnership with EnCata. The scope of work involved the following:

• Initial project planning
• PCB design and prototyping
• Housing design
• Delivery of POC prototypes
• Prototype testing

Throughout the entire course of the project, the joint development teams followed an Agile methodology. Additionally, some of the latest and most leading-edge technologies were used such as AWS Lamda, AWS IoT Core, and Google Firebase.

Technologies

Architecture: Firmware/SDK, Cloud computing, Client-server applications
Backend: Python 3, boto3 library, DB - DynamoDB, Notifications - Google Firebase, Storage - AWS S3, Authentication - AWS Cognito, AWS IAM, Logs - AWS Cloudwatch, Firmware - ESP-IDF
Frontend: Java, RxJava2, - Swift, RxSwift
Other Technologies and Tools: Serverless architecture - AWS Lambda, IoT - AWS IoT Core

SUCCESS

With such a complex set of end goals, technologies, and product functionalities, the joint development teams accomplished all project requirements within budget, on schedule, and with maximum efficiency.

The solution’s IoT capabilities utilize a cloud-based infrastructure and rely on serverless computing functions. SaM Solutions’ development teams contributed the following:

• Native mobile app development for iOS and Android devices
• Microcontroller embedded development
• DevOps services via AWS
• Project management
• Business Analytics

Botany Labs’ resulting MVP features the following capabilities:

• Database of 150+ common household plants
• Automated and customized plant care programs
• Fully automated and remote controlled plant watering and water level monitoring
• Real-time mobile notifications, alerts, monitoring, and control via iOS and Android devices
• Comprehensive plant life/health indicators
• Automated air purifier
• Extensive plant health history via statistics, visual data, and analytics

Developing the KORU smart plant pot was an exciting and interesting opportunity for our development teams. The project required an advanced level of expertise across numerous cutting edge technologies such as serverless computing, cloud, and IoT. SaM Solutions is proud to have successfully contributed to the technological growth of the plant care and agriculture industries.

The resulting consumer electronics product, KORU, is on track to be available for purchase in late 2021 to early 2022.