Pranav Sethi
The Group 4 project is an extremely important part of the IB Diploma Program, which involves many departments working collaboratively to solve a scientific problem. For us, this problem involved building a Low-energy, and Cost-Efficient Greenhouse. The departments involved include Computer Science, Business/Economics, ESAS, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The goal of this project is to develop our teamwork skills with other departments, no matter how different the subjects are.
For the Group 4 project, I worked in the Computer Science Department. We built numerous sensors including temperature, Carbon Dioxide, and Ultrasonic sensors that would be placed inside the greenhouse. We also created a 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) model of the greenhouse itself, and created a program to conduct a analysis on the data collected, through the use of a data logger, within the greenhouse. Additionally, we used Raspberry Pi to connect all of the sensors we built, and to reduce the work involved in the Greenhouse.
We created the Ultrasonic sensor, along with the temperature and Carbon Dioxide sensors, by using Arduino coding, and circuit boards. The purpose of the ultrasonic sensor is to detect, and measure the water level within the greenhouse. The idea was to activate a flap placed on the greenhouse to allow/prevent water from entering the structure depending on the water level.The Group 4 project is an extremely important part of the IB Diploma Program, which involves many departments working collaboratively to solve a scientific problem. For us, this problem involved building a Low-energy, and Cost-Efficient Greenhouse. The departments involved include Computer Science, Business/Economics, ESAS, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The goal of this project is to develop our teamwork skills with other departments, no matter how different the subjects are.
For the Group 4 project, I worked in the Computer Science Department. We built numerous sensors including temperature, Carbon Dioxide, and Ultrasonic sensors that would be placed inside the greenhouse. We also created a 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) model of the greenhouse itself, and created a program to conduct a analysis on the data collected, through the use of a data logger, within the greenhouse. Additionally, we used Raspberry Pi to connect all of the sensors we built, and to reduce the work involved in the Greenhouse.
The Temperature Sensor was built to fulfill the purpose of stabilizing the temperature within the greenhouse. Attached to the sensor was a sprinkler/fan, and a blind, which would either increase, or decrease the temperature within the greenhouse.
Furthermore, the Carbon Dioxide sensor was created to measure the carbon dioxide levels within the atmosphere, however unlike the temperature and ultrasonic sensors, the carbon dioxide sensor is supposed to be used to gather data, and assist the data logger.
In addition to creating sensors by using Arduino coding, we also created a 3D CAD model of the greenhouse structure, which was used to help the DT department to visualize the design of the greenhouse, and to help us think about where the sensors, which we created, would be placed. In order to create this model, we used Google Sketchup.
Fifthly, we also created a program to conduct a Statistical Analysis on the Temperature of the water, atmosphere, pH levels of the water, and the carbon dioxide levels of the atmosphere within the greenhouse. The program was created on Visual Studio, and was used to create graphs based on data retrieved by the data logger placed within the greenhouse. We also used this tool to analyze experiments conducted by other departments. For instance, the physics department conducted an experiment on the thickness of a PVC sheet, and its effect(s) on ultraviolet radiation. The data logger, and the program was also created to keep a record of the data taken from the measurements from temperature, etc. after the greenhouse is built.
Ultimately, after more research, we realized that we needed to connect the sensors to one computer, which is when we decided to use Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a small compact computer which is frequently used in many Greenhouses around the world. Through the use of this computer, we were able to build a, "connected-circuit" in which all of the sensors we built were interacting with each other. Raspberry Pi mainly reduces the amount of work involved in maintaining structures like the Greenhouse.
After completing the Group 4 project, I learned new concepts such as Arduino coding, building sensors, etc. and learned how we can use these concepts in the real world. The project also involved solving problems by critically thinking about the solutions to those problems. For instance, in order to create the ultrasonic sensor, we had to fix many bugs/glitches involved in the coding of the sensor, which consumed a lot of our time. One such problem, was the motor, and the LED were continuously triggering because of no apparent reason. However, with a team effort, over time we fixed this problem, and now the ultrasonic sensor is a vital component in the Greenhouse.
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