This Smart Planter Will Make a Face When Your Plant Isn’t Happy

Written by

Kenya Foy
Kenya Foy
Kenya is a Dallas-based freelance entertainment and lifestyle writer who devotes most of her free time to traveling, gardening, playing piano and reading way too many advice columns.
updated Jul 24, 2019
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Credit: Mu Design

Improving your relationship with your plants just got easier. Mu Design developed this smart planter that measures the condition of your plants via Lua, a smart planter that uses an app and an LED screen to display whether you’re falling short on your plant care or doing an exceedingly good job as a plant parent.  Aside from obvious signs like yellowing leaves, it’s difficult to determine your plant’s “mood,” but the Lua makes greenery-to-human communication pretty clear cut. 

Credit: Mu Design

Currently over 200% funded on Indiegogo, the “smart planter with feelings” operates with the help of an app. After downloading, users scan an app-generated QR code that the planter can instantly translate and read. From there, you choose the type of plant you own, and you’re ready to begin receiving straightforward messages regarding what your plant needs. Be prepared for brutal honesty, though, because the Lua doesn’t mince words—or facial expressions.

Credit: Mu Design

Utilizing a library of 15 different universal animated emotions, the Lua can tell its user about a plant’s health and overall-being, plus other expressions that add a bit of fun of personality to the plant-keeping experience. No longer will you have to see withering leaves before you sense your plant’s parched condition; the Lua LED screen will let you know in the form of an open-mouth face with wagging tongue to denote its thirst. On the other hand, oversaturation is displayed in the form of a sick face which lets users know to slow down on the watering.

If the plant has been in the dark too long for its liking, the Lua will display a vampire face to request (no, demand) more light.  See your Lua squinting and you know it’s time to draw the shades to reduce the plant’s exposure to light. There are also expressions that tie in to motion detection, a lack of movement, and an inability to read a QR code, among others. 

Credit: Mu Design

The Lua has 11 days left on its Indiegogo campaign where you can preorder one for $111. The company hopes to begin shipping their ingenious smart planters by December 2019.