IoT Feeding Machine w/ Weight Sensor Controlled Android App

IOT FEEDING MACHINE SCHEMA WITH LIGHT AS A LOAD

Inspiration

The inspiration for our IoT Animal Feeder stemmed from the common challenge faced by pet owners and farmers alike: ensuring their animals are fed properly when they are not around. Pet owners often have to rely on neighbors or friends to take care of their pets during vacations, which can be inconvenient and unreliable. For farmers, especially those managing large expanses of land, manually feeding animals can be an exhausting and time-consuming task. Our solution aims to alleviate these burdens by providing a smart, automated feeding system that ensures animals are fed precisely and efficiently, even from a distance. The theme "Stronger Together" emphasizes the power of collaboration, innovation, and community-based solutions to address common challenges and improve livelihoods. Our IoT Animal Feeder embodies this spirit by leveraging technology to create a solution that benefits both pet owners and farmers. By automating the feeding process, we free up time and reduce stress, allowing individuals to focus on other important tasks. The collaborative effort in developing this project—from prototyping to debugging—highlights how working together can lead to innovative solutions that enhance productivity and efficiency. By making this technology accessible, we aim to foster a community where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can benefit from advanced solutions, leading to a better, more connected tomorrow.

What it does

Our IoT Animal Feeder is equipped with a weight sensor to monitor the amount of food available and allows remote control of feeding through a user-friendly Android app. The app lets users set precise feeding amounts, ensuring that food is not wasted. This system not only provides convenience but also promotes responsible and efficient feeding practices. Farmers can manage their livestock feeding schedules without being physically present, significantly improving productivity and reducing labor.

How we built it

We utilized IoT technology to bring this project to life. The key components include:

ESP32: Microcontroller for managing the hardware functions.
Weight sensor: To monitor the amount of food.
Servo motor: To dispense the precise amount of food.
Android app built with Kotlin: For user interface and remote control.
MQTT protocol: For reliable communication between the Android app and the ESP32, using a private broker hosted on a VPS.

The development process involved creating a prototype of the device, developing the Android app, and establishing the MQTT communication for seamless integration.

Challenges we ran into

Building the IoT device prototype presented several challenges, including hardware integration and ensuring accurate readings from the weight sensor. Additionally, we encountered issues with the MQTT connection within the app, which required thorough debugging and testing. Despite these hurdles, we successfully resolved the problems, ensuring a robust and reliable system.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are incredibly proud of successfully creating a working prototype that seamlessly communicates with the Android app via MQTT protocol. This achievement demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of our solution, showcasing our ability to develop an innovative and functional IoT device from concept to reality.

What we learned

During our participation in Garuda Hacks to complete this project, we learned how to communicate data using MQTT to exchange information between IoT devices and Android applications. Besides acquiring technical skills, we also practiced patience as building IoT devices comes with many struggles. Fortunately, we always managed to bounce back whenever we felt we were at our limit.

What's next for IoT Feeding Machine w/ Weight Sensor Controlled Android App

The next step for our project is to refine the devices and applications we have created to make them more suitable for real-world fish farming needs and for feeding pets at home. Additionally, we plan to integrate artificial intelligence into our IoT devices.