Droplet sprinkler uses cloud data for efficient lawn watering

Droplet takes the innovation of connected homes and applies it outside the home — to the lawn, specifically. The sprinkler can be connected to the Internet and controlled via a smartphone or tablet, gathering local weather information and using that to determine when to water the lawn.

Furthermore, the Droplet sprinkler can also be configured to water only the location where plants are based, rather than an entire lawn or garden indiscriminately. For example, if your lawn has two trees that require watering, you can place the sprinkle between them and configure it with their coordinates. Using that information, the sprinkler will only water the trees and nothing else.

The benefits to this is obvious — it reduces water usage on both the personal scale and in the grand scheme of things, reducing a water bill and, potentially, helping reduce local water usage in areas that frequently have to meter water usage. The company behind Droplet claims it can save up to $253 annually on one's water bill.

Once connected to one's WiFi network, the Droplet pulls data from more than 10,000 weather stations, as well as information on plants and soil samples to best water areas. Users can control the sprinkler through an Internet interface or through a mobile device.

The Droplet is priced at $300 USD.

SOURCE: Smart Droplet