Sun-Seeking planter is a robot that allows indoor plants to search for the sunniest spot in a room by following a specific algorithm; it also allows them to measure the soil moisture, so when needed, it can go towards water spray that is placed in a certain location in the room and make it start itself when the robot becomes beneath it in order to water the plant.
Our robot is controlled by an Arduino Uno microcontroller and driven by two stepper motors. The planter seeks sunshine with the help of two solar panels and two LDRs that detect sunlight from all directions.
Two ultrasonic range detectors keep the planter from running into obstacles (one for the forward movement and the other is for the backward movement).
The moisture sensor reading is read every 10ms. When the plant needs water it goes towards the water spray using an algorithm that returns the robot from its current position to the water spray position.
The water spray is connected to an IR sensor in order to detect when the robot becomes beneath it so the water spray starts. It keeps watering the plant until the moisture sensor reading changes to a proper value.