According to the Indonesia Information Portal, in 2019, about 500 species, or 10% of Indonesia’s 5,000 orchid species, were commercially valuable commodities for development.
The high demand for orchids in the Special Region of Yogyakarta supports the highest production of potted floriculture commodities, amounting to 66,684 pots in 2022.
Despite the significant interest in orchids, urban consumers in Indonesia often face challenges in maintaining orchids when growing them indoors.
A team of UGM students, consisting of Muhammad Ridwan Adyatama (Veterinary Medicine), Faradila Azzahra Destriyanti (Veterinary Medicine), Fayza Najma Athiya (Veterinary Medicine), Arundina Wijaya (Agricultural Technology), and Keffa Auna Rasyidina (Accounting), successfully developed a comprehensive indoor orchid maintenance kit with auto repair media and relief national heritage features.
“Orchid lovers in urban areas often struggle with orchid care, so we pioneered and developed Fitovare as an innovation in smart urban gardening in Indonesia,” said Adyatama, the team leader, in a statement to the press on Thursday (Sep. 12).
Adyatama explained that the orchid maintenance kit they developed is equipped with IoT devices to help consumers monitor their orchids.
The planting media can be easily placed indoors and automatically detects color changes and watering times.
“Our kit is equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) technology, allowing users to directly monitor the temperature and humidity around the orchid through a smartphone,” he explained.
Adyatama and his team, mentored by Dr. Muhammad Arrofiq, a lecturer from the Vocational College (SV UGM), are further developing their product in preparation for the 37th National Student Scientific Week (Pimnas) at Airlangga University.
Although the current kit already assists users in caring for orchids, the team continues to optimize the product in terms of design and the quality of the planting media.
“We are testing the long-term success of this kit to ensure that it truly provides satisfaction for users,” said Athiya, a team member.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif