PlantSense unveils USB stake sensor to prevent plant malnutrition

What was once an art form of sorts has become somewhat of an antiquated skill, as touting a green thumb certainly isn't as awe-inspiring as it used to be; with gizmos like RFID-enabled terrariums, hydroponic gardens, and remote-controlled greenhouses, it shouldn't be all that difficult to keep that flora flourishing. Giving further aid to the clueless plant owner is a USB stake sensor that resides a few inches beneath the soil, and provides "information about light, moisture, soil composition and other factors that can affect plant growth and health." Start-up PlantSense has designed the intelligent stake to relay the data via USB to a subscription-based website, where it informs users what they're doing wrong (too much sunlight or not enough fertilizer, for example) as well as "providing recommendations on which plants might grow best in a particular microclimate." The self-proclaimed "lifecycle development platform" will likely sell for $49.95 (includes a stake and one year of data analysis) if it can scrounge up the necessary funds from eager VCs, while additional years of the service will run $20 -- but that's a small price to pay if your home-based garden looks more like a cemetery anyway.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

[clicclic @ Oct 23rd 2006 11:30AM]

Doesn't this make more sense using 802.11 or BT?

[tzaar @ Oct 23rd 2006 11:33AM]

"green thumb-drive"

nice.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 23rd 2006 11:39AM]

Wireless AND solar.

Or build it into the pot to make a smartpot.

-and then build that into a PC case...oh wait. maybe not.

[Mike Browning @ Oct 23rd 2006 12:47PM]

Mmmmmm... steak.....

[dave @ Oct 23rd 2006 2:46PM]

I could see this being used for some rare plant specimen that you don't want to be around, but with the price of regular house plants being so low, this just seems too expensive.

[Matt @ Oct 24th 2006 2:02PM]

Hi - I'm one of the founders of the company. Remember that you can use the sensor over and over again and on multiple plants. The average american spends $160 per household on plants and just under 33% die because people put a plant in an environment where it can't thrive, or because people don't care properly.

[dave @ Oct 23rd 2006 2:48PM]

rare plant speciment that you don't want to be around-
http://www.enviroliteracy.org/images/page-spec/Amorphophallus_titanum.jpg

PS. engadget is lame for not letting me create a hyperlink with the 'a' tag.