Mission Description
- Context: Automating farm irrigation improves yields and saves labor. Set up an Automatic Irrigation System that directly waters plants when they’re dry, using an actual water pump.
- Task: Reusing the concept from earlier grades but now implementing with real hardware: Connect a soil moisture sensor and a small DC water pump (with a transistor or relay driver for the pump) to your Arduino. The code should read soil moisture continuously. When dryness goes below the threshold, the Arduino should activate the pump to water the plant. Include a timing mechanism to not overwater: e.g., pump runs for 5 seconds then pauses to re-check moisture. Add an LCD or indicator LEDs: green LED when soil is fine, yellow when watering, red if soil stays dry even after watering (could indicate an issue).
- Expected Output: A working irrigation prototype. In an example run, as the soil naturally dries out (or you remove the moisture sensor from wet soil), eventually the system flips a relay and the pump motor starts humming, delivering water through a tube onto the plant. After a few seconds, it stops and checks – if the soil is moist again, it will stay off. If still dry, it may water a bit more. This hands-on mission demonstrates an agricultural technology used in precision farming, linking coding to real-world pumps and relays
Student Goal
Reusing the concept from earlier grades but now implementing with real hardware: Connect a soil
moisture sensor and a small DC water pump (with a transistor or relay driver for the pump) to your
Arduino. The code should read soil moisture continuously. When dryness goes below the threshold, the
Arduino should activate the pump to water the plant. Include a timing mechanism to not overwater: e.g., pump
runs for 5 seconds then pauses to re-check moisture. Add an LCD or indicator LEDs: green LED when soil is fine,
yellow when watering, red if soil stays dry even after watering (could indicate an issue).
Mission Information
Status
Open
Deadline
December 31, 2025
Category
School
Grade
G11 — Specialized Tech Missions
Rewards
Recognition, Internships, Prizes
Presented by
Ready to Join This Mission?
Take on the challenge and make a difference with Automatic Irrigation with Pump.