An IoT-based Sharing Plant Factory System for Nature Connectedness Improvement in Built Environment
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Nature Connectedness
2.2. Factors Affecting Natural Connection
2.3. Explorations to Enhance Indoor Natural Connection
- (1)
- Physical connection: increase the frequency and chance of contact with nature, and use multiple sensory channels to contact nature in action [32];
- (2)
- Cognitive connections: promoting plant knowledge and establishing ecological beliefs, affecting people’s attitudes towards sustainable development and green environmental protection behaviors [15];
- (3)
- Experience connection: such as entertainment in a green environment, experience in a virtual green environment [33];
- (4)
- Emotional attachment and emotional response, such as fostering connections and feelings with plants through the adoption of plants [34];
- (5)
- A philosophical perspective on the relationship between humans and the natural world, a philosophical perspective to understand the relationship between humans and nature, a visual display of the relationship between plants and human activities, etc. [35].
- Immersive natural design: Make nature visible and touchable
- Plant wall design: Improve nature accessibility
- Potted plants green design: Strength nature experience in everyday life and work
- Introduction of indoor plant factory
- Smart plant products
3. User Study
3.1. User Interview Method
- People in the office space usually only want to enjoy the ecological benefits of plants and do not want to consider themselves incapable of taking care of the plants;
- Plant products have both physiological value (reducing air pollution, etc.) and experience value (improving closeness with natural ecology, etc.); for ordinary consumers, the value of experience often exceeds actual physiological value;
- The development of lifestyle (fast-paced, high-stress, urban life), consumption concepts (shared economy), intelligent technology, etc., have led to the trend that the demand for flexible and personalized reliance on social service networks to obtain ecological services has gradually replaced the past alone purchase and possess plant products.
3.2. Survey
- Plant attitudes and value perceptions for office environments
- Investigate the status of existing indoor plant ecological services and user preferences
- Investigate specific factors affecting the natural connection between indoor plants and users
4. System Design
4.1. Purpose of Desgin
- The user experience of plants can attract users to the plants as much as possible;
- People can perceive the health of plants and participate in the care of plants in an easy way;
- MSPF can automatically identify and adapt to the conservation needs of different users, the environment and plants, and scientifically maintain plants.
4.2. Design Method
- Sensor layer
- Data layer
- Decision layer
- Execution layer
- Interaction layer
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Scale Name | Measure Dimension | Reference |
---|---|---|
Inclusion of Nature in the Self, INS | Single | Schultz, 2001 [15] |
Connectedness to Nature Scale, CNS | Single | Mayer & Frantz, 2004 [16] |
Connectivity with Nature, CWN | Single | Dutcher et al., 2007 [17] |
Nature Relatedness, NR | Three | Nisbet et al., 2009 [18] |
Ping An Technology | Baidu Technology | Hong Kong University | Tencent Technology | IBM | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Defects | Too few green plants, don’t know how to maintain | Don’t know how to maintain | Short life cycle and high maintenance costs | Don’t know how to maintain, can’t feel the presence of plants | Whether to purify the air, concerned about the amount of oxygen released | Don’t know how to maintain, can’t feel the presence of plants |
Suggestions | More plants | Increase plant species and numbers | Automatic watering | Personal care | Be part of the environment | Automatic irrigation |
Expectation | Hope to change to a well-lit office | Professional take care of the plants | Voice interaction | Absorption of formaldehyde | Love the smell of real plants | Professional take care of the plants |
motivation | Plants relieve boredom, plants have aura | Plants can relieve fatigue | Plants are good for people | Increase the vitality of the environment and breathe life | Plants can clean the air | Plants can bring good luck and improve the environment |
Scale | Items | Flowerpot | MSPF | Samples | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NASA-TLX (Task Load Index) | Mental strength | 11.08 ± 4.61 | 4.00 ± 2.38 | 13 | 0.000 *** |
Physical strength | 9.15 ± 5.87 | 4.38 ± 3.20 | 13 | 0.004 ** | |
Time | 9.92 ± 3.95 | 6.46 ± 3.97 | 13 | 0.029 * | |
Effort | 11.23 ± 4.68 | 6.00 ± 3.08 | 13 | 0.000 *** | |
Completion | 12.31 ± 5.92 | 17.31 ± 1.55 | 13 | 0.003 ** | |
Frustration | 8.38 ± 5.89 | 3.38 ± 3.64 | 13 | 0.004 ** | |
Revised INS (Inclusion of Nature in the Self) | Relationship with plants | 3.00 ± 1.73 | 4.23 ± 1.64 | 13 | 0.000 *** |
Revised CNS (Connectedness to Nature Scale) | I feel separated from the plant | 2.77 ± 1.30 | 2.08 ± 0.86 | 13 | 0.006 ** |
Plants make me feel kind | 3.62 ± 0.87 | 4.46 ± 0.52 | 13 | 0.014 * | |
Understand the impact of behavior on plants | 3.23 ± 1.01 | 4.15 ± 0.69 | 13 | 0.004 ** | |
Think plants are wise | 3.62 ± 1.33 | 4.00 ± 1.29 | 13 | 0.209 | |
Feeling in the same environment as plants | 3.85 ± 0.56 | 4.31 ± 0.63 | 13 | 0.027 * | |
Happiness has nothing to do with plant conditions | 2.54 ± 0.88 | 2.00 ± 0.91 | 13 | 0.047 * | |
Yourself as part of the natural cycle | 4.31 ± 0.75 | 4.23 ± 0.73 | 13 | 0.337 | |
Nature is my home | 4.38 ± 0.65 | 4.38 ± 0.65 | 13 | / | |
Plants and I are part of nature | 4.38 ± 0.87 | 4.62 ± 0.51 | 13 | 0.190 |
Items | Flowerpot | MSPF | Samples | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjective comparison | Plants can be more felt after the test | 3.92 ± 0.28 | 4.46 ± 0.52 | 13 | 0.012 * |
Get more concerned about plants after the test | 3.54 ± 0.52 | 4.46 ± 0.52 | 13 | 0.002 ** | |
The beauty of plants is more noticeable after the test | 3.69 ± 0.48 | 3.92 ± 0.64 | 13 | 0.337 | |
Think that the plants are good for life after the test | 3.23 ± 0.73 | 4.08 ± 0.86 | 13 | 0.002 ** | |
More willing to take care of plants after the test | 3.23 ± 1.09 | 4.08 ± 0.64 | 13 | 0.051 | |
More efficient plant maintenance after the test | 2.54 ± 0.78 | 4.69 ± 0.48 | 13 | 0.000 *** | |
Attitude survey | Better user experience | / | 4.31 ± 0.48 | 13 | / |
Hope to introduce plant factory mode | / | 4.38 ± 0.51 | 13 | / | |
Willing to pay a fee for the experience | / | 3.92 ± 0.49 | 13 | / |
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Tong, X.; Wu, Z. An IoT-based Sharing Plant Factory System for Nature Connectedness Improvement in Built Environment. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3965. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12103965
Tong X, Wu Z. An IoT-based Sharing Plant Factory System for Nature Connectedness Improvement in Built Environment. Sustainability. 2020; 12(10):3965. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12103965
Chicago/Turabian StyleTong, Xueting, and Zhanwei Wu. 2020. "An IoT-based Sharing Plant Factory System for Nature Connectedness Improvement in Built Environment" Sustainability 12, no. 10: 3965. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12103965