Purdue Student Startup Advances Automated Device With App To Grow Fresh Produce In home Hydroponic Appliance
August 24, 2017
Purdue Student Startup Advances Automated Device With App To Grow Fresh Produce In home Hydroponic Appliance
Scott Massey (left) and John Kissel (right) discuss two different grow-pods in front of their innovative hydroponic appliance called the Alpha III Pod. Massey founded Hydro Grow LLC to design and sell hydroponic, in-home appliances that produce fruits and vegetables. Their newest model, Alpha III Pod, incorporates advanced machine learning algorithms to create an ideal nutrient wash for each of the grow-pod’s plants. (Shannon Kane / Purdue Research Foundation image) Download image
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University students who developed an automated device to grow vegetables in consumer’s home have started a company to commercialize their technology and develop an improved third model.
Scott Massey and Ivan Ball, recent graduates of Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute, originally inspired by NASA-funded research into self-sufficient plant life systems, co-founded the company Hydro Grow LLC to commercialize their appliance. Others on the Hydro Grow team are James Carlson, a junior in the Department of Computer Science; and John Kissel, a past student of the Krannert School of Management.
Hydro Grow’s technology offers the Gropod, a self-sustainable refrigerator-sized unit capable of growing fresh produce in a consumer’s home. The system uses advanced machine learning algorithms, which allows the device to be aware of what plants are growing in it and adapt its environmental conditions to the specific preferences of that plant. After several prototypes, the company is developing an Alpha 3 model with improved functionality and a corresponding app.
Massey said the company’s mission is to eliminate consumer’s dependence on grocery stores.
“By 2050 the population is expected to grow to nearly 9 billion people, doubling the world’s food demand and water consumption,” he said. “Additionally, food deserts affect 23.5 million people in the United States. Half of these people are also low-income so if poorer communities do not have access to fresh produce, they are more likely to have health complications and additional expenses.”
Hydro Grow offers two services — a hydroponic appliance capable of growing produce, and seed pods from which the produce grows.
The Alpha 3 model is controlled by a user with the Hydro Grow app. The company will make the new model available to 10 to 30 early adopters.
“Users will be able to order the seed pods of their choice via our phone app, plug the seed pod into their system, update the phone application, and let the produce grow until it’s ready to harvest,” Ball said. “Users can remotely monitor the production of produce within each unit. The system will also have a clean cycle every few months that is activated via the phone application.”
Kissel said the company’s priority is to make the appliance as affordable as possible.
“Our most important goal is reducing the cost of the unit to make it a more sensible investment for most consumers,” he said. “Our system not only fills a need but can also help people who may have small gardens, by providing an alternative that produces 95 percent less waste and grows two to three times faster. Our feedback has been that people are ready for this product.”
A short video about Hydro Grow can be viewed at https://youtu.be/KE-nEQXHn0E.
Hydro Grow hopes to advance its technology as the company moves into its next stages of commercialization.
“We are progressing toward a robust system that can achieve optimal growth rates with the least amount of components and user maintenance,” Carlson said. “We hope to identify plastic or electrical manufacturing partners, with competitive pricing. We’re also working on a software development campaign to facilitate seedling orders on a ‘smart’ platform.”
Hydro Grow has raised over $80,000 through competitions to advance its technology. Hydro Grow hopes to collaborate with hydroponic nurseries in major cities to create and distribute seedpods. The company is also seeking investment funding.
“We’re actively looking for funding to achieve a full-scale commercial launch with our original equipment manufacturer. We hope to accomplish this launch by 2018,” Massey said. “We also are interested in taking on interns as the Hydro Grow’s business rapidly expands.”
About Purdue Foundry
The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.
Writer: Kelsey Henry, 765-588-3342, kehenry@prf.org
Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Hillary Henry, 765-588-3586, hkhenry@prf.org
Sources: Scott Massey, scott@hydrogrowllc.com
Ivan Ball, ivan@hydrogrowllc.com