Students from Varna created a ‘smart box’ for growing vegetables

The enterprising 10th graders Daniel Mihaliev, Maxim Shalaverov, Nikola Angelov and Radoslav Dechev from the "Dr. Petar Beron" Mathematics High School, in Varna (Bulgaria), under the guidance of their Entrepreneurship teacher Mrs. Siyana Nikolova, have invented a smart box for growing vegetables. The students aim to make it as easy and convenient as possible to grow plants outside their natural environment. Their Smart Field and Smart Pond products are suitable for studying plant growth and development in classroom settings.

The idea for their project company UV Green was born during the "Laboratory: Young Entrepreneur" idea incubator, as part of the World Entrepreneurship Week (JA Bulgaria), which took place in November 2023 in Dobrich. The theme of the incubator was agriculture, and the event brought together 40 participants to generate business ideas applicable to the local economic context.

We managed to win first place for our idea of ​​growing vegetables and financing of 300 euros. So, in the following months, we decided to further develop our idea by starting to experiment," Nikola Angelov from UV Green told Economic.bg.

That way, the students managed to produce the first Smart Field prototype using phytolamps, mirror film, paint, a flowerpot and soil.

"The students had an interest and desire to develop their product, and I supported and encouraged them along the way showing them how an idea can turn into a complete business. At our school’s entrepreneurship club, we have created a friendly environment, and we are very positive," said Siyana Nikolova.

What are these inventions?

Smart Field was the first product to be developed. It’s a smart flowerbed made of KömaTex, which is a type of polymer. It consists of two main elements – a body and a water tank. It’s equipped with lighting from FITO lamps, the function of which is to eliminate the need for sunlight, as well as to protect the plants grown from cold, diseases and pests - all without the use of pesticides.

There is an irrigation system that circulates the water put into it through sensors and a programmer so as to preserve nutrients in the soil and extend the time that new water needs to be added to the system. At standard sizes, up to 12 plants can be grown in the Smart Field without slowing down the growth of any of them.

The plants are grown in standard soil, but we have an automated irrigation system equipped with a humidity sensor," explained Daniel Mihaliev.

Smart Pond is the latest and most innovative product, a mobile laboratory for growing plants in a controlled environment, similar to the Smart Field, but featuring many significant differences. The product is divided into three parts - body, bed and tank. The enclosure, unlike the Smart Field, does not contain soil but uses a hydroponic system, through which plants are grown using only water. The tank of this product is divided into two parts and serves two irrigation systems – one on the bed and another on the body.

“The water circulates 24 hours during a certain period. Here we also use a FITO lamp, which protects plants from parasites and diseases. The advantage of Smart Pond is that the plants grow twice as fast, with the period shortened by about 2-3 weeks. Both Smart Field and Smart Pond are automated and human intervention is almost unnecessary," added Mihaliev.

Since plants cannot be grown directly from seed in the main body hydroponic system, seedlings must be used. It’s for this purpose that Smart Pond also includes a bed. The bed also relies on a hydroponic system but creates different conditions perfected specifically for seedling growth. Smart Pond can grow 8 adult plants and 8 seedling plants.

The development process of both products took us about five months. We are currently working on the completion of our most up-to-date product - Smart Field Plus, thanks to which plants can be grown with or without soil," stated Maxim Shalaverov.

Smart Field Plus is an innovative product designed for efficient crop cultivation at home. With its compact dimensions, it is ideal for home use. Its aim is to provide completely organic food products without interference from pesticides. The product significantly accelerates the growth process through optimal use of technological means.

“A built-in minicomputer with artificial intelligence trained by us, connected to a camera located in the inner body of the Smart Field Plus, stores a database of the production process by monitoring the state of the plants during their growth. According to the received information, the system automatically creates the optimal climate for each plant to ensure maximum rapid and effective growth," added Shalaverov.

Among the technologies, the students are using to control the climate are phytolight diodes that mimic sunlight, heaters and coolers to maintain the perfect temperature and an automated irrigation and food processing system. All camera and sensor data is collected and visualized on the Smart Field Plus main panel interface, providing full control and monitoring of the process.

The 10th graders explained that their products can be used to grow any kind of rooted plants that do not grow more than 50 cm in height. In the future, they plan to develop a product that will allow users to grow taller crops as well.

We are currently in the process of making deals with various people who will supply us with branded products such as seeds and soil. We think that these seeds will be integrated into an application that shows in what conditions a specific crop should be grown and whether the conditions need to be changed, for example, more watering or longer lighting, so that the atmosphere in the product itself can be perfect for growing the seed," said Radoslav Dechev.

The tenth graders are already looking for new partners and sponsorships, so they strive to attend various conferences and business events. So far, the students have presented their products at the 2024 "Learning Company" regional competition, held at the University of Economics - Varna, where they qualified for the next, national round. The boys also participate in the "Young Inventors" competition, organized by the "Minyu Balkanski" Foundation.

At the beginning of June, they also visited the "Rising Stars" business forum in Burgas, where they took 4th place with their new and improved Smart Pond prototype. On June 4, within the framework of the "Comprehensive Approach in Preschool and Primary School Education" National Conference in Varna and at the invitation of the Center for Creative Training, the students presented Smart Pond to more than 250 teachers, principals and educational experts from all over Bulgaria.

"At the conference in Varna, we also managed to talk with the Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, who showed great interest in our products," explained Radoslav Dechev.

Aspirations

Going forward, the youngsters plan to optimize and improve each of their products, provide more services such as an app, integrate new technologies, and create dosed nutrients such as fertilizers for their future loyal customers to benefit from. The tenth graders want to further develop the marketing strategy of their business, as well as hold talks with various schools with the idea of ​​integrating their products into their STEM centers to facilitate the education of children in biology classes through innovative and interesting technology.

Biology lessons can be made much more fun through the observational method. The ability to receive data on the growth process of crops, as well as recordings and photographic material, greatly helps in learning the new material. All this can be found in the interface of our newest product or in a phone application," explained Nikola Angelov.

The young people advise their peers to be creative, and disciplined and to risk trying new things because there is room for personal development in Bulgaria. They themselves do not stop dreaming - Nikola and Daniel want to practice medicine, and Maxim and Radoslav are thinking of continuing their studies in the field of financial economics and business.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov