Butler Community College builds “Food Computer”

Butler Community College builds “Food Computer”

Butler Community College builds “Food Computer”

El Dorado, Kansas – Butler Community College assistant professor of agriculture Derek Foust has built a “personal food computer.” The box will grow  lettuce and other small leafy greens while sensors measure growth and conditions in the box.

“Essentially it is a hydroponics food-growing chamber that is connected to a small computer,” said Foust. “In addition to a web cam mounted inside to chart the plants’ daily growth, sensors will measure various parameters such as light intensity, temperature and humidity. We will manually measure the pH and nutrient levels and, on a regular basis, all of the data will be uploaded into the project’s data cloud.”

Similar projects have been built around the world as part of an open-source project to gather data related to plant growth and conditions. Through online interactions Foust was able to come up with cost-saving methods to make the project more accessible to students.

“We knew creating a food computer and participating in an open-source, networked, data-collection experiment would be an ideal learning opportunity for teaching students about the basics of research and the intersection of computer science with plant science,” explained Foust. “However, when we first investigated the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Open Agriculture (OpenAg) Initiative, it was geared toward larger research institutions and required a good deal of engineering and software knowledge,” Foust continued. “As a result of online discussions, the Open Ag Community worked together to create a design for a food computer that could be built for under $300 and required relatively little technical expertise

This project allows Butler ag-track students to take part in a worldwide project and connect with a diverse group of people working together.

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