IIoT & Energy
Controlled plant growth, steered from the cloud
An embedded IoT solution for an urban gardening start-up: readings into the cloud, firmware updates under control on the way back, secured through certificate management.
The task
For a start-up in urban gardening we developed an embedded IoT system for controlled plant growth.
It mattered to the client that every reading from the system should come together in a cloud: water level, lighting settings and more. They are the basis for analyses that improve the product and widen the range.
The solution
Firmware updates go the other way, distributed from the cloud under control. At the core of the embedded software sits our IoT stack, which handles certificate management, encryption, protocol and firmware update.
It is built on FreeRTOS and semf, our C++ framework. Communication between cloud and microcontroller is encrypted and runs through the certificate management.
The electronics are laid out with cost in mind: microcontrollers with integrated network interfaces shorten development and make approving an IoT device easier. We carried the project out with two partners, one for mechanics and one for the app.