DEVLOG #1

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about one question:
Can we reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by helping beneficial microorganisms grow instead?
Most smart farming projects focus on detecting soil conditions and recommending fertilizers. I wanted to explore a different approach. Instead of feeding the soil with more chemicals, what if we could create the right conditions for naturally beneficial microorganisms to thrive?
That idea became the starting point for my project.
Right now, I’m calling it MycoRover.
The project will have three main parts:

A soil testing machine that analyzes soil samples by measuring pH, NPK, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture, and temperature.

A central AI hub running on a Raspberry Pi 5 that processes the collected data and recommends suitable beneficial microorganisms based on the soil conditions.

An autonomous rover that follows predefined paths between crop rows and carries out the treatment plan by creating favorable environmental conditions for those microorganisms.

At this stage, I haven’t started building any hardware yet. Today was all about planning the system before buying components or writing code.
I spent most of the day filling pages of my notebook with ideas.
First, I thought about how to collect a soil sample that actually represents the entire field instead of relying on a single random spot. I sketched a method of dividing the field into sections and combining samples to get a more representative average.

Next, I designed a rough concept for the soil testing machine. The idea is to place the mixed soil inside a testing chamber where multiple sensors can automatically measure pH, NPK, EC, moisture, and temperature before sending the readings to the AI hub.

Finally, I outlined the overall workflow of the project—from soil testing to AI analysis and finally to the rover carrying out the treatment plan.

This is still the very beginning, and I expect many parts of the design to change as I learn more about soil microbiology and robotics. My goal for the next few days is to research beneficial microorganisms, validate the scientific assumptions behind the project, and begin designing the first prototype.
I’m excited to see how far this idea can go.