FYTA: Smart plant sensor coming soon

People and plants don’t talk the same language. That is why the communications are rather difficult. The company FYTA is striving to change this. With a smart sensor and the respective app, they intend to lend room plants a voice.

The start-up company, FYTA, is based in Berlin. The company was founded in 2018 by the two plant lovers, Claudia Nassif and Sylvie Basler. They develop and design products that make life with room plants easier and that aim to expand the possibilities of the indoor gardener. Their plant sensor, the FYTA Beam, is to be introduced onto the market this year. “We are currently very busy producing the Beta version,” explained Basler. “It will be delivered to 800 early adopters in June 2020. These are predominantly international customers, whose attention was drawn to us and our products in the scope of our campaigns on the crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter and Indiegogo. End of the year we will start organising the official market launch.”

The FYTA Beam was already presented to a broad audience in Cologne at spoga+gafa last September. FYTA was one of the start-ups nominated for the “Gardena Garden Award”, which in turn meant they were given the opportunity to present their company at the international garden trade fair of the green industry at an own exhibition stand. In the scope of the prize, for the first time in partnership with Koelnmesse and BHB (German DIY, Building and Garden Association e.V.), the manufacturer of garden appliances, Gardena, distinguished a founding team in 2019, which “focused on the sustainable solutions for the future of the ‘digital garden’.” Nassif and Basler were able to assert themselves against their fellow competitors with their concept and won first prize, which was endowed with prize-money to the value of Euro 5,000.

“We were of course delighted to win the award,” stated Basler. “The fact that we were present in Cologne alone opened up many doors to us. We got to know a lot of people and held many discussions with journalists, possible strategic partners and investors. We were also subsequently invited to attend the IVG Forum Garden Market in Düsseldorf and were able to hold a lecture at this industry get-together of the Garden Industry Association about our product ideas and developments in front of 300 visitors.”

The two co-founders of FYTA are advertising their new, smart plant sensor using the slogan “Connect with plants“. The usage thereof is relatively simple: The FYTA Beam is inserted into the pot of a room plant, where it reliably measures the moisture, the nutrient level in the soil, the room temperature and the light intensity. It is then controlled using the respective app. With the aid of a detailed plant database, the user can then create an individual profile for each of his plants that is fitted with a sensor. It contains all of the specific demands of the respective type of plant. These are regularly compared with the data collected by the Beam. In the form of text messages, the plant lover is subsequently informed about the current needs of his green roommates (i.e.: “I am thirsty”). This enables the optimal provision of even extremely demanding plants. Moreover, further useful and inspiring information on the theme can be called up via the app.

“The FYTA Beam is equipped with a Bluetooth LE mesh networking technology and enables a data reception of up to 100 metres when several sensors are implemented in an apartment or house,” explained Nassif. “On request, the Beam can also be supported with a FYTA base. This enables a Wi-Fi connection and thus also the reception of the collected data en route. This can for example be useful in holiday situations: One then only needs to ask friendly assistants to tend to the plants when it is really necessary.”

“On developing the FYTA Beam, it was from the very start important to us that the design was unobtrusive and high-quality, said Basler. “Because the sensor shouldn’t divert the attention from the beauty of the plants.” The casing is not made of plastic, but to a large extent from resistant borosilicate glass. At the end of its life, the sensor can be dissembled in separate pieces and individually recycled. It is operated by a solar cell, which supports the battery.

“After the market introduction, we will initially sell the FYTA Beam online in the FYTA Webshop but also in appropriated trading partners within the garden but also within the interior or lifestyle branch,” reported Basler. “The plant sensor being small of size and demanding in terms of explanation does not lend itself wo be sold within stationary trade.”

For further information: www.fyta.de