Engineering a Smart Mushroom Growing System for Sustainable Nutrition

Grade:

12

Teacher:

Jeanne Wages

Nutritious mushrooms can be grown in an efficient and accessible manner by automating their ideal growing conditions and environment. These mushrooms can be eaten as a healthy and reliable food source, which can help provide a source of nourishment for anyone who enjoys eating mushrooms, as well as those who have nutritional insecurities. The goal of this engineering project is to create an efficient automated mushroom growing system in which the necessary conditions for growth will be monitored and controlled by an Arduino microcontroller. The Arduino will be programmed to run a misting system to maintain high humidity levels, run a fan to provide fresh air, and control LEDs to encourage mushroom growth. A phone app made with MIT App Inventor will be programmed to control the functions of the system. This device is composed of a glass jar that sits in a 3D printed base, composed of two pieces: the top piece has two holes that lead to separate chambers, allowing air and mist in and out of the system. There is also a ring in the bottom that securely holds the container from which the mushrooms grow. The bottom component is divided into three sections: one houses the electronics, one houses the misting system, the third section holds the exhaust fan. This prototype works successfully in functioning as designed. The device is controlled by an Arduino which receives information from a humidity/temperature sensor and a real-time clock to control an ultrasonic mister, fans and LEDs. This creates an environment with the ideal conditions for optimal mushroom growth potential. This prototype allows mushrooms to be grown efficiently and reliably, at a fairly rapid pace. The mushrooms may be used as a source of nutrition and if implemented in areas with food insecurities, this prototype can be used to grow meat replacements. Anyone who likes growing and/or eating mushrooms will likely enjoy using this device to grow tasty mushrooms to add to their meals, with health benefits of protein and vitamins.

Project presentation

Lab journal excerpts

Research paper