Flower Power from Parrot offers better living through technology

SolidWorks customer Parrot got a lot of press lately when their new AR Drones created a 3D map of the Paris Air Show. It was a great example of how two cutting-edge technologies could come together to do something new. You might also know them for their GPS units, hands-free Bluetooth systems or wireless headphones. But that’s not all the company is interested in.

Parrot’s newest product focuses on something many people find more difficult than piloting drone aircraft—keeping houseplants alive. Their new Flower Power sensor goes in the soil with your plants and measures sunlight, moisture, temperature and even nutrient levels. Flower Power connects with your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, and you use a dedicated app to let it know what kind of plant you have. The device downloads ideal conditions for your plant from a database, and when the plant needs attention, the app lets you know. That means no more over or under-watering.

Flower Power got a lot of attention at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and won a Popular Science Product of the Future award, as well as CES 2013 Hot Stuff award from Stuff Magazine. There’s just one catch–you can’t buy it yet. In the meantime, you can watch this YouTube video to learn how it works, and learn more on the Parrot website.

People sometimes ask me what the best thing about being CEO of SolidWorks is. The answer is the same now as it was when I first started in 1997—meeting our customers and seeing the things they make. This is the kind of real-world innovation that makes it so exciting to be in the design industry, and Flower Power is only one example of amazing new products being designed with SolidWorks. Have you seen anything lately that you found impressive? Let me know in the comments.