
MAE: 494
GROUP 11

PROJECT STATEMENT
The main problem with irrigation is not only moving water from point A to point B, it is also efficiently watering the specific areas that require it based on the plant’s needs. As a result, the solution that was arrived at in this project was to approach the problem using a closed loop irrigation method. The proposed solution of closed loop irrigation addresses the pressing issues that current open loop systems cannot account for. The use of feedback from the plants and soil would allow a computerized irrigation system to more accurately determine areas of priority in a system. This would enable the user to water areas that didn’t receive enough water during rainfall while avoiding irrigating other sections of a system that did in fact receive enough water from natural environment events. The main problem that needs to be worked through in this project is finding a way to integrate the proposed closed loop irrigation system while maintaining a level of efficiency and convenience that is equal to or greater than current popular open loop irrigation methods. To quantify this efficiency, some technical analyses will be conducted, of which may include analyzing the energy required to move water through the system and accounting for power being used by the computer system and sensors.
Prototype Concept
02/10/17
Completed
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Prototype Specification
02/13/17
Completed
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Prototype Drawings
03/01/17
Completed
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Materials and Components List
03/08/17
Completed
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