PROJECT SUNBOT: Harnessing Solar-

Powered Prototype Robot for

Sustainable Plant Care

RESEARCHERS

Rho Kinzou P. Acido

Brenjane C. Villar

Jhoramne Nina S. Birondo

RESEARCH COACH: Caroline A. Villanueva

RESEARCH PLAN

RATIONALE
 Watering a rice field is not an easy task for farmers it takes a lot of time and it is a

vigorous work. The use of alternative watering of crops takes a lot of energy for the farmers

it also exposes them in radiation which affects their health. There are also many problems in

watering crops one of them is drought that can affect the crops. Study found that there is ongoing

drought in almost all countries in Southeast Asia the social and economic impacts already being
felt very strongly in Cambodia,Thailand and Vietnam.1 According to PAGASA , the heat index

hit 48°C here in Philippines which currently falls in the state weather bureau's " danger"

classification2. The researchers explored and developed a prototype solar-powered and watering

robot that can effectively address the limitations of traditional plant care methods. By combining

solar energy and effecient watering capabilities, the robot has the potential to enhance farming

practices, improve crop yields, reduce manual labor, conserve water resources, and promote

sustainable agriculture.

RESEARCH QUESTION

1
Ayamga, Matthew, Selorm Akaba, and Albert Apotele Nyaaba. “Multifaceted Applicability of Drones: A Review.”
Technological Forecasting and Social Change 167 (June 1, 2021): 120677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120677

2
Philstar.com. “Butuan Heat Index Hits 48°C, ‘hottest’ since the Start of 2023 Hot Dry Season,” April 22, 2023.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/04/22/2260854/butuan-heat-index-hits-48c-hottest-start-2023-hot-dry-
season#:~:text=Nation-,Butuan%20heat%20index%20hits%2048%C2%B0C%2C%20'hottest'%20since,of%202023%20hot
%20dry%20season&text=A%20beautiful%20sunrise%20greets%20local,Sibugay%20on%20March%2020%2C%202023
1. Is there a significant difference on the power capacity in terms of:
1.1 Plant watering duration
1.2 Square footage coverage
2. Is there a significant difference on the square footage of plant watering coverage in
terms of:
2.1 Range of water
2.2 Mobility
3. Based on the results, what recommendations can be proposed?

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS

H1 The prototype solar gathering and plant watering robot presents an alternative to conventional
farming methods. By gathering solar energy, Watering crops. The robot has the potential to
enhance crop yield, resource efficiency, and sustainability in agriculture.

GOAL

The researcher’s goal is to develop a tool that can water the crops while gathering solar energy. It
will explore the effectiveness of the tool in improving the lifestyle of the farmers using
technology and focuses on designing the tool to be safe and accurate.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

The researchers presented a costly efficient robot that is formed by lego and can be serve as
prototype towards building a farming drone robot that can water the crops while gathering solar
energy that can light a house with a watering tool attached and solar panel. The robot is helpful
for the farmers even though its an prototype it will help the farmers to do the farming work such
as watering the crops.
PROCEDURES

First, gather all the materials needed such as Ev3 Arduino Lego Robot , laptop for
programming .Next, assemble the Ev3 Arduino Lego Robot . And then, program the robot using
Lego Mindstorms Software . Put the hose below the robot and the rope at the back of the robot.
Thirdly, we make a DIY Nipa Hut that is made up from popsicle sticks. Finally, set up the robot
outside and turn on the water pump. After that, wait for the results.

RISK AND SAFETY

Potential risk of being electrocuted. Take precautionary measures and must have supervision

with adult supervisor or teacher-coach.

DATA ANALYSIS

In day one the researchers conducted the study for 30 minutes with 32°C weather temperature for
solar energy gathering and 5 minutes for watering a 2 meter Plant Box the soil level is moist and the
solar energy time expectancy of lighting the lightbulb is 1 Hour and 36 minutes While in day 2 The
researchers conducted the study 1 Hour with the weather condition of 33°C for gathering solar
energy and 6 minutes for watering a 4 meter plant box the soil level is also moist and the solar
energy time expectancy for lighting the light bulb is 3 Hours and 26 minutes
Rob Days TEMPERAT TIME ENERGY ENERGY TIME OF DISTAN MAXIM SOIL
ot atte URE OF CONVERT EXPECTA WATERI CE OF UM LEVE
Use mp DURING CONDU ED NCY NG PLANTB L
d CONDUCTE CT FOR OX WATER
D SOLAR CAPACIT
ENERG Y
Y

Ev3 Day 1 32°C 9:30- Good for 1 Hour 5 2 2 Liters MOI

Lego 10:00 Lightbulb and 36 minutes meters ST
Rob Minutes
ot
Ev3 Day 2 33°C 8:30- Good for 3 Hours 6minute 4 3 Liters MOI
Lego 9:30 LightBulb and 26 s meters ST
Rob minutes
ot
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ayamga, Matthew, Selorm Akaba, and Albert Apotele Nyaaba. “Multifaceted Applicability of Drones: A
Review.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 167 (June 1, 2021): 120677.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120677.

Philstar.com. “Butuan Heat Index Hits 48°C, ‘hottest’ since the Start of 2023 Hot Dry Season,” April 22,
2023. https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/04/22/2260854/butuan-heat-index-hits-48c-hottest-start-
2023-hot-dry-season#:~:text=Nation-,Butuan%20heat%20index%20hits%2048%C2%B0C%2C
%20'hottest'%20since,of%202023%20hot%20dry%20season&text=A%20beautiful%20sunrise%20greets
%20local,Sibugay%20on%20March%2020%2C%202023.

Ayamga, Matthew & Akaba Selorm & Nyaaba, Albert Apotele. “Multifaceted Applicability of Drones: A
Review.” Ideas.Repec.Org, 2021.
https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v167y2021ics0040162521001098.html.

Drones, Talos. “DJI Agricultural Sprayer Drones Advantages over Manual Ground Spraying.” Talos
Drones (blog), January 6, 2023. https://talosdrones.com/blogs/blog/dji-agricultural-sprayer-drones-
advantages-over-manual-ground-spraying.

Travelers Insurance. “The Benefits of Drones in Agribusiness,” n.d.

https://www.travelers.com/resources/business-industries/agribusiness/benefits-of-drones-in-
agribusiness#:~:text=Help%20Reduce%20Environmental%20Impact,treatments%20of%20pesticides
%20and%20fertilizers.&text=This%20can%20help%20reduce%20agricultural,nearby%20crops%20and
%20the%20soil.

“Applications of Modelling and Simulation – An Open Access Journal: EISSN 2600-8084,” n.d.
https://arqiipubl.com/ams/.

ResearchGate. “ResearchGate | Find and Share Research,” n.d. https://www.researchgate.net/.. Sadowski,

S., & Spachos, P. (2018). Solar-Powered Smart Agricultural Monitoring System Using Internet of Things
Devices. 2018 IEEE 9th Annual Information Technology, Electronics and Mobile Communication
Conference (IEMCON). doi:10.1109/iemcon.2018.7. ResearchGate.

“ResearchGate Find and Share Research,” n.d.https://www.researchgate.net/.. Sadowski, S., & Spachos, P.
(2018). Solar-Powered Smart Agricultural Monitoring System Using Internet of Things Devices. 2018
IEEE 9th Annual Information Technology, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference
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