Plantship

Inspiration

We were inspired to develop Plantship because long-distance relationships are challenging — couples can text or call, but they rarely get to share physical experiences together. Some of our teammates love taking care of plants and realized it would be meaningful if couples could co-parent a plant together, nurturing both the plant and their relationship at the same time.

What it does

Plantship makes plant care fun, interactive, and connected: Each partner has a smart plant system with soil, humidity, and temperature sensors. A push button triggers automatic watering: when you water your plant, the system automatically waters your partner’s plant too, letting you care for them even from afar. The plant sits on a rotation stand for even, healthy growth. An LED screen displays cute messages: When the partner waters their plant: “We’re growing together” When the plant needs water: “I need care” The system tracks watering history to prevent overwatering and shows stats on when the plant was last watered. It turns taking care of a plant into taking care of a relationship, letting couples nurture something together — even when they’re apart.

How we built it

Sensors: Soil moisture, temperature, and humidity sensors monitor the plant’s health. Actuators:

Stepper motor 1: rotates the plant stand for even, healthy growth (3D-printed rotation mechanism).
Stepper motor 2: drives the automatic watering system when the button is pressed or soil is dry. Microcontroller: ESP32 board connects both partner’s plants over WiFi so watering actions and messages are synced in real time. Display: LED screen shows cute, real-time messages about the plant and the relationship. Software: Tracks plant needs, logs watering history to prevent overwatering, triggers messages, and synchronizes watering events between partners.

Challenges we ran into

Synchronization: Managing multiple tasks in one ESP32 — controlling motors, sensors, watering logic, rotation, and LED messages — while keeping everything synced between partners. Hardware complexity: Handling many wires and power requirements for sensors, motors, and the ESP32 without interference or voltage drops. Real-time updates: Ensuring the watering action on one plant automatically triggers the partner’s plant without lag or errors.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a fully functional IoT plant system with sensors, rotation, and messaging. Created a playful, emotional connection for long-distance couples. Successfully made the plant’s health reflect shared responsibility.

What we learned

Combining hardware and emotional design can create unique experiences. Even small interactions, like watering a plant, can have big emotional impact. IoT systems require careful timing and synchronization to feel seamless.

What's next for Plantship

Add more personalization: custom messages, plant types, and growth patterns. Include relationship health analytics based on plant care. Integrate with smartphones for notifications, reminders, and shared milestones. Expand to groups of friends or families, not just couples.