IRIS | Integrated Robotic Irrigation System

IRIS Logo
IRIS Design
IRIS Control Mobile App (not published)
IRIS Control Website (unhosted)

Inspiration

Billions of people face water scarcity, with over 160 million relying on unsafe or untreated water every day. Traditional solutions like wells or desalination fail in remote deserts, high plateaus, or tundras because they’re expensive, slow to deploy, and vulnerable to climate volatility. We wanted to design a system that can bring clean water to the places where existing infrastructure simply cannot reach.

Addressing SDG6

IRIS directly supports SDG 6 by providing clean water in places where traditional infrastructure cannot reach. Using solar power and atmospheric water generation, it creates safe, drinkable water off-grid, making it ideal for remote communities and disaster zones. Its autonomous design ensures sustainable, reliable, and equitable access to water—helping achieve the goal of universal clean water and sanitation.

What it does

IRIS is a fully autonomous, solar-powered, mobile water-harvesting robot. It navigates extreme terrains, detects the best extraction zones using satellite imagery and AI, and generates clean water directly from air using an Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG). It operates off-grid with its own power management, obstacle avoidance, and data logging, delivering safe water without traditional pipes or wells.

How we built it

Hardware: Arduino-based humidity sensing and extraction system, solar energy modules, LiDAR, and thermal cameras for obstacle detection. Software: Python and TensorFlow for satellite image analysis, terrain classification, and autonomous navigation. Design: Iterative prototyping from sketches to a safety-compliant 3D model, integrating energy management and real-time communication for deployment in deserts or disaster zones

Challenges we ran into

Handling climate volatility. Rapid changes in humidity and temperature required adaptive sensing algorithms. Achieving reliable off-grid power while keeping the robot lightweight. Integrating diverse sensors (LiDAR, thermal, satellite) into a single decision-making framework. Ensuring manufacturability and cost-efficiency for large-scale deployment.

What we learned

The importance of real-time environmental sensing for mobile water systems. How to merge mechanical engineering, energy systems, and AI to solve humanitarian problems. The value of user feedback from NGOs and rural communities in shaping design priorities like simplicity and maintenance.

What's next for IRIS | Integrated Robotic Irrigation System

Pilot deployments in drought-affected regions and disaster zones. Scaling manufacturing with off-the-shelf materials to reduce costs and enable rapid production. Continued AI training to improve zone detection and energy efficiency. Expanding partnerships with universities, NGOs, and government agencies to reach high need communities worldwide.

Important Info

Functionality of AI algorithm is shown on Canva Presentation, so we believe that alone is impactful. However, we went on to to design a prototype to display the measurable impact we can have.

Our Roles were mentioned in the Devpost project.

Built With

c++
python
tensorflow

Submitted to

Hack the Genration
SDGs in Practice: Innovation Challenge for School Youth
- Winner Certificates
PROJECT PYGMALION
Backstage AI

Created by

I worked on the mechanical engineering, drawing from my undergraduate research experience at Northwestern and as California Business Journal’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Connor Wong
I developed the backend and core software for IRIS, creating the Python/TensorFlow models that analyze satellite images to identify optimal water-harvesting zones, programming the autonomous navigation and obstacle-avoidance logic, and integrating sensor data with the Arduino control system to manage water extraction and solar energy use in off-grid environments.

Arush Satasia
I conducted in-depth research to inform our project framework and ensure alignment with existing data. I also engaged with an NGO to gather real-world insights and designed a survey to capture community perspectives that shaped our approach.

Aahana Gondalia
I led my team’s financial and technical strategy for IRIS, our AI-powered Atmospheric Water Generator. My contribution included designing the modular supply-chain model, integrating NASA SMAP satellite data into our drought-monitoring framework, and coordinating the energy system powered by LiFePO4 solar battery banks. This all stemmed from my experience with IEEE Xplore and Mays Innovation Research Center.

Asrith Sampath