There’s one experience that just about every single houseplant enthusiast has had at one time or another: they’ve killed a houseplant. I know it’s happened to me countless times. Some of them have succumbed to unexpected things, like diseases, parasites, and bad insects. But if I’m being completely truthful with you, most of the plants that are dead in my wake were killed by neglect. Lua Planter is a new type of pot that gives your houseplants an anthropomorphic flair, letting the plants tell you their current mood.
Lua Planter is a planter with a mood
Lua Planter works by connecting your houseplant to a free mobile app on your phone that gives you an in-depth look at the raw data for your plant, from how moist the soil is to how much sunlight the plant is receiving. All you need is an internet connection, but even then, the app is accessible offline.
If a mobile app isn’t your thing, don’t worry. This high-tech pot has a low-tech approach as well: making faces at you. The Lua Planter has 6 essential animations as well as 9 animations that are just for fun. The 6 main animations are Thirsty: when the moisture level of your plant’s soil drops too low. Sick: when the plant is being overwatered. Vampire: when your plant isn’t receiving enough sunlight. Squint: when your plant is getting too much sun. Cold: when the temperature drops. Hot: when the plant is too hot.
How will you know when your plant’s conditions have been appropriately corrected? Don’t worry, it’ll tell you. When things are back to normal, the planter will produce a happy face. It will also make a puzzled face if it couldn’t read your QR code and wink if it understood your QR code. It will also follow movement with its eyes and go to “sleep” if there’s no movement around it. Lua Planter will also make a grumpy face if it thinks rain is coming and a tongue-out face at random.
The specifications
Lua Planter comes with a sub-irrigation reservoir that allows for less frequent watering. You pour water into the irrigation reservoir and the soil soaks it up from the base. Don’t worry, your plant gets all the water it needs! It also contains four sensors to monitor your plant, including a water level sensors, a light sensor, and a temperature sensor. From the manufacturer:
- Dimensions: Ø 15 cm x 16 cm – Ø 5.9″ x 6.3″
- Inner dimensions: Ø 12 cm x 10 cm – Ø 4.7″ x 3.9″
- Weight: 500g
- Screen: IPS LCD – 2.4″ – 320x240px
- Power supply: standard wireless QI power transfer
In 2019, the Lua Planter had a successful round of fundraising from Indiegogo, being backed by 2,775 backers and raising a total of $386,000. If you’re interested in getting a Lua Planter of your own, they aren’t readily available for sale but you can fill out a form to request one! You can do that here.
