Outdoor Plants Can Beg for Water via iPhone

The new and improved outdoor Koubachi system allows plants to ask for more water, light or fertilizer, no matter where their humans may be. The system consists of a water resistant sensor that sticks into the soil and an iOS app. This might be the perfect gadget for geeks who really love plants and don’t mind the €129 price tag.

The Koubachi Wi-Fi sensor sticks into the soil next to the plant.  From there it measures moisture, temperature and chemical changes in the soil.  A photo sensor at the top of the device monitors sunlight. If the plant is too cold or needs a little more light it will send its owner an alert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5YmkIMjP-4

Here is a video walkthrough of the Koubachi from the ShowStoppers event at IFA 2012 in Berlin.

The user tells the sensor what kind of plant it’s monitoring by tapping on the free Koubachi iPhone app.The Koubachi in the video showed us the app had her iPhone set up to monitor several plants in London. The app has an extensive list of plants and recommended care guidelines. It will, for example, remind users to water roses more often than orchids.

Such an expensive device may sound ridiculous to some users, but gadgets like these are another piece of the smarthome puzzle.

This is yet another gadget that’s launched with only an iOS app. A Koubachi Android app is in the works, but there isn’t a firm release date. This device may not be for you, but sooner or later you’re going to run into a peripheral you love that doesn’t work with your phone if you carry something besides an iPhone.

If you want to save a few bucks on this gadget there an indoor version of the Koubachi for €89. Even at that price we can’t imagine there’s going to be much demand for this device. For the same money you can get a high-end headset or another more useful iPhone accessory.