If I create an AI greenhouse and compare its skill in growing a basil plant against conventional methods, then the AI greenhouse will be able to grow a plant of a better quality because it will be able to control the environment inside the greenhouse on a different level than the conventional methods can. The AI greenhouse will be able to emulate the environment that the plant not only is used to, but also the one that it needs at that specific moment

What is an Arduino?

• A circuit board with a microcontroller on it
• Arduino is just a company, there are many microcontrollers that are Arduino-compatible, meaning that they can be coded the same way as an arduino
  • How is an arduino coded?
    • Through the Arduino IDE, which is an open source software
    • You can code on the Arduino IDE in a modified version of C++ and upload your code to the Arduino in order to have it control output devices

What is an Output/Input Device?

• An output device is a device that is affected by the code, like an LED or an LCD Display
• An input is a device that affects the output, like a Potentiometer or a Button.

• An output or intput device can be controlled by a GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) PIN. There are two types of these pins…
  • Analog Pins
    • Returns and reads in any number between 0 and 1023
    • Analog signals can be anything between 0 and 1023, meaning that they can be more varied than Digital Signals
    • Analog Signals can be sent via PWM (Pulse Width Modification) pins, which have the capability to send different amounts of current depending on the code.
  • Digital Pins
    • Returns and reads in true/false, high/low, yes/no, 0/1, etc
    • Digital signals are discreet and can be two opposite values
    • Digital signals can be sent through the digital pins
  • Example - Digital Pins can turn an LED on or off, but Analog pins can not only turn it on and off, but they can also adjust the brightness of the LED

How can I connect inputs and outputs to my Arduino?

• The Digital, Analog, PWM, 5v, 3.3v, and GND pins can be used to attach input and output pins to your Arduino.

How does a plant begin to grow?

• The seed rapidly consumes water from the soil. This softens the seed coat
• The cotyledons in the seed are consumes by the embryo via enzymes to nourish it
• After some time, the root ruptures the seed coat. The root grows downward in search of more water.
• The seed cells become metabloic, and elongate as they break the soil and shed the seed coat in order to form a sprout. The cotyledon falls off and become part of the soil.

What does a plant need to grow

• A suitable level of moisture
• A suitable temperature
• A suitable level of sunlight
• A good quality of soil

How can I provide this

• I can provide moisture via a water pump and drip irrigation system
• I can control temperature via a heating mat and cooling fan
• I can control sunlight via strip grow lights
• I can provide a good quiality of soil by keeping it maintained and moist and making sure the soil is suitable for the plant

What is a Greenhouse

• A structure to protect tender or out of season plants
• A modern greenhouse is made of glass and is used to cultivate out of season plants

Types of Greenhouses

• Span-type Greenhouse
  • A shaped roof
• Lean-To Greenhouse
  • Leaning against a wall

Common Components

• Polythene, Glass, Polyvinyl, or Acrylic Glass to insulate - Polythene
• Glazing to allow as much natural light as possible - Grow Lights
• Galvanized Steel or Wood frame - Wood 
• Steam or Hot water cirulation for heating - Evaporation
• Roof openings and Electric Fans for cooling - PC fan
• To heat and boost heating - Heating mat and Mylar Film

Controlled- The amount and type of seeds in each pot, the amount and type of soil in each pot

Dependent - The height and overall quality of the plants

Independent - Whether or not the plant is in the greenhouse and is being monitored by AI

1- Cut the wood into 22 peices of 22 inches, and 14 pieces of 15 inches

2- Construct 2 panels using 7 of the 22in pieces for one panel, and construct one more panel using 8 of the 22-inch pieces. The panels of 7 will be the floor and roof, and the panel of 8 will be the back

3- Contruct 2 panels using the 15in pieces, with 7 pieces making a panel. These will be the walls

4 - Cover the fronts of the panels in mylar film, and secure the entire back with duct tape.

5 - Using the hole saw, drill a hole into the left outside part of one of the walls. This will be where the fan will go

6 - Place the heating mat on one of the floor pieces and contstruct the greenhouse around it, using nails and wood glue to secure the pieces

7 - Using double-sided tape, secure the grow lights to the roof of the greenhouse and run the wires through the gap at the back

8 - Set up the drip irrigation system, and connect it to the water pump

9 - Place the water pump into a bucket of water, and do the required connections (see: Connections)

10 - Stick a breadboard to the inside of the back of the greenhouse, and place the DHT 22 in it. Do the required connections (see: Connections)

11 - Set up the Soil Moisture sensor and use DuPont wires to extend the connection (see: Connnections)

12 - Set up the PC fan (see: Connections) and mount it to the hole you made using nails

13 - On the roof, set up the Arduino (see: Connections) and ensure it has the code uploaded (see: Code)

14 - Under the Arduino, place a breadbaord and cconnect the alarm system on it to the Arduino (see: Connections)

15 - Connect the 12v Power supplies as well as the plug for the heating mat to the surge protector.

16- Set up the Soil Moisture sensor and use DuPont wires to extend the connection (see: Connnections)

17- Set up the PC fan (see: Connections) and mount it to the hole you made using nails

18- In the Jiffy Pot, put in a generous amount of potting mix. Place 5 seeds in the soil, and then put in about 3mm of potting mix on top of them. Repeat twice.

19 - put the soil mositure sensor into one pot. Put that pot into the greenhouse. Your manipulated variable is now ready

20- Place the other pot on a windowsill. Your controlled variable is now ready.

- Most of the time, the greenhouse plant sprouts a day or two before the conventional one

- The Greenhouse plant usually has drier soil, but when the water pump takes action, it is fine again

- The Greenhouse plant usually has larger leaves and a greener colour than the conventional one

For the most recent results, visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aFyGijFEyCbuUvngG_xYGO-2dzwzVgjnCxFMP3LnRh0/edit?gid=1144289285#gid=1144289285

- Greenhouse plant was consistently better than the conventional plant

- Greenhouse plant was of a higher quality than the conventional plant

- Greenhouse plant required little to no attention compared to the conventional plant

Overall, my hypothesis was correct. The AHTMAS Greenhouse outperformed the conventional plant overall.Here were my results after 14 days. I took the height of the tallest plant in each pot for the overall values. Here you can see that the AHTMAS plant sprouted on Day 2, which is almost 3 days before the average time a basil plant sprouts, where the conventional plant sprouted on the 4th day, which is more aligned with the average. Because of this, the AHTMAS plant grew to be taller than the conventional plant. Also, 2 of the conventional plant decayed very quickly after about 16 days, where the AHTMAS plant had 2 healthy plants. The leaves in the conventional plant are starting to yellow and wilt, but the AHTMAS plant has perky, lush green leaves.

This can apply to real life. If someone loves plants but has a packed schedule, an indoor AI greenhouse would be able to do the work for them and make it so that they can live their life normally while the greenhouse tends to their plant. Already, 21% of Canadians grow houseplants, and many who don’t just do not have the time and energy to look after one with the care it needs. AHTMAS solves this problem, leading to a more sustainable and green future. If I were ever to work on this project to improve it, I would want to make it so that it could grow many plants at once, and had a screen to display all of the data on the plants, and have you be able to make manual changes to the environment if you want. I would also want to code it with presets for common houseplants

This can apply to real life. If someone loves plants but has a packed schedule, an indoor AI greenhouse would be able to do the work for them and make it so that they can live their life normally while the greenhouse tends to their plant. Already, 21% of Canadians grow houseplants, and many who don’t just do not have the time and energy to look after one with the care it needs. AHTMAS solves this problem, leading to a more sustainable and green future. If I were ever to work on this project to improve it, I would want to make it so that it could grow many plants at once, and had a screen to display all of the data on the plants, and have you be able to make manual changes to the environment if you want. I would also want to code it with presets for common houseplants

 - Errors in Code

- Different amounts of soil

- Different amount of seeds

- Different types of soil

- Different types of seeds

Works Cited

House plants: The gift that keeps on giving - Statistics Canada, 10 January 2024, https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5362-house-plants-gift-keeps-giving. Accessed 30 January 2025. Campbell, Scott. “Arduino LCD Set Up and Programming Guide.” Circuit Basics, https://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-an-lcd-display-on-an-arduino/. Accessed 30 January 2025. Campbell, Scott. “How to Set Up the DHT11 Humidity Sensor on an Arduino.” Circuit Basics, https://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-the-dht11-humidity-sensor-on-an-arduino/. Accessed 30 January 2025. da Vinci, Leonardo. “Greenhouse | Definition, Types, & Uses.” Britannica, 9 December 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greenhouse. Accessed 30 January 2025. Ghosh, Abhishek. “Difference Between Analog and Digital Pins in Arduino UNO.” The Customize Windows, 10 May 2018, https://thecustomizewindows.com/2018/05/difference-between-analog-and-digital-pins-in-arduino-uno/. Accessed 30 January 2025. MicroMstery Tutorials. “Arduino Basics: Digital and Analog For Input and Output.” Youtube, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMMnOAzcqoE&t=2s. Accessed 4 January 2025. Rober, Mark, and CrunchLabs. “Arduino 101- Crash Course w/ Mark Rober.” Youtube, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi29dbPnu28&pp=ygUPd2hhdCBpcyBhcmR1aW5v. Accessed 3 January 2025. “Soil Moisture Sensor Hookup Guide - SparkFun Learn.” SparkFun Learn, https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/soil-moisture-sensor-hookup-guide/all. Accessed 30 January 2025. SunFounder Maker Education, creator. 2023 Arduino Tutorial for Beginners. SunFounder, 2023. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwWF-ICTWmB7-b9bsE3UcQzz-7ipI5tbR. “What Is Seed Germination? | SEED GERMINATION | Plant Germination | Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz.” YouTube, 22 September 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSe_VUMymjo. Accessed 30 January 2025.

I want to acknowledge the following people for helping me in my project:

Ms. Ms.Martin, my science teacher, for her help with figuring out my project

Shyama Gandhi, for her continued support whenever I have problems

Sye Ghebretnsae, for his help with troubleshooting

Mr. DeGelder, for helping me with figuring out the ins and out of the science fair for a fourth year

and last but not least, my family for having my back no matter what =)