Student-led company sevelops self-powered smart hydroponic system

Al Musannah: A student-led company from the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Al Musanna has successfully developed a self-powered smart hydroponic system. The innovation transforms homes into sustainable smart farms by integrating plant cultivation and fish farming within a single ecosystem.

Malak Ghalib Al Salmi, CEO of the student-led company Blue Root, stated: "The system monitors plants and fish through an electronic platform that displays real-time data, including temperature, ammonia levels, a three-dimensional model, and provides instant alerts for any changes."

She explained that the company represents a promising model reflecting the ambition of Omani youth to reshape home farming into an integrated technological ecosystem. She noted that the business model is based on B2C (Business-to-Consumer) and B2B (Business-to-Business) frameworks, targeting individuals, institutions, and those seeking aesthetically pleasing and sustainable agricultural solutions. The system also simultaneously manages aquatic and plant life, thereby enhancing food security through modern technologies and offering users psychological comfort through features that the project summarizes as replacing human intervention.

The company showcased its innovation during its participation in the Sustainable Student Companies Exhibition and the Student Companies Forum. It also qualified among the top 40 student companies in the Sultanate of Oman in the INJAZ Oman competition.