Posted on Jun 7 2023 9:01 AM

"Dodola is a startup company, from Krusevac, Serbia, CEE, which develops a smart device for taking care of indoor plants, by using artificial intelligence to recognize the plant, its condition, and set custom watering plans."

What are Plant parents?. The name was created by the millennial generation and corresponds with the strong comeback of indoor plants obsession.

A   survey in 2020   states that 70% of millennials call themself Plant parents, which means that they own at least one plant and call it their baby.

Plants are known to improve the overall aesthetics of the apartments. But plant parents also say that they impact their mental health, physical well-being, and productivity.

But, there are challenges.

67% of the survey participants state they are Plant murderers too and that 40% of millennials plan to buy a houseplant, but half of them fear that they are not able to keep plants alive!

Indoor plant owners state that their worries are mostly:

• 50% Does the plant have enough light,
• 46% Are they watering it correctly,
• 43% Is there any difference in plant care if the plant is in or outside,
• 21% Will they be able to find someone to water it when they are away.

Dodola, AI plant sitter for plant parents

Dodola is a Slavic goddess of rain and the wife of the supreme deity Perun (god of thunder). Slavs believed that when Dodola milks her heavenly cows, the clouds, it rains on Earth.

A   Dodola    device, just like the deity it got its name from, is helping plants grow and stay healthy.

It is equipped with a number of sensors, it communicates with the mobile app, and works as a full-time plant helper.

The main sensor of Dodola is her eyes

Dodola is equipped with a high-resolution camera that can track the plant life all the time. It recognizes which plant the user possesses. In communication with other sensors and relevant information available, Dodola sets and executes watering plans.

To water the plant precisely, the device also uses a soil and air humidity sensor, and temperature sensor. It also uses the data available within its database like the geolocation of the plant, and current weather conditions.

Even when it is not online, Dodola knows what it has learned and continues to water the plant and keep it safe!

An important task of the camera is to check the plant for any illness. Once detected, Dodola will inform the user how to treat the plant.

Dodola uses the mobile app to communicate with the users

With the mobile app, users stay connected to the plants from anywhere. They can receive real-time updates, track growth, and read expert tips tailored to their plant needs. The app sends alerts, ensuring users never miss an important plant care task.

The app lets users manage the plant as well. Let's say the plant is still too young to be recognized. Manual input will let the device know what to do. Users can also set their own watering plans if they wish so.

The app provides all the data collected through the sensors, informs the user on the water level in the reservoir, and lets the user take photos of the plant and post them to their favorite social network.

Not only zero, a negative carbon footprint is possible as well

Dodola is powered by a battery made out of recycled materials. It powers the pumps, sensors, and connection to the internet. It is recharged through the integrated solar panels and works for more than two weeks without recharging.

The plastic from which the Dodola is made is also recycled! It's estimated that, with 1,000 devices, Dodola will recycle at least 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of plastic waste. At the same time, properly watering the plants, and using solar panels and recycled batteries, saves at least 40,000 liters (more than 10,000 gallons) of water and 200,000 kWh of electricity per annum.

The plants also reduce it and produce Oxygen! With the same number of devices, 43,800 liters (11,500 gallons) of O2 is generated annually. Indoor plants also absorb at least 25-30% of carbon dioxide released by humans.

And as an additional bonus,   based on a NASA report,   plants can remove up to 95 percent of the toxic substance from indoor air in just 24 hours.

Mr. Nebojsa Sataric, and Mr. Milomir Zekanovic, engineers and part of the founders' team, gave their statement on Dodola.

“Our commitment to plant care is reflected in our responsibility to protect the planet. For each part of the device, we are determined to choose materials and resources in such a way that it results in reducing or eliminating carbon footprint. We are proud to say that, by our calculations, not only will it be zero, we will help produce new Oxygen.

At this point, we are happy with where we are, both hardware and software-wise, and we are planning a Kickstarter campaign soon. Stay tuned!”

Dodola is a startup, now in prototype phase, but plans to hit Kickstarter some time later this year. More on Dodola on their web site    https://mydodola.com.