## 4 Conclusions  
The design of a programmable controlled environment using off-the-shelf components, custom designed 3D printed parts, and open-source and self developed software was possible. Actuators for resource exchange, climate control, and light spectrum adjustment were designed, incorporated, and tested. Software framework was developed and tested for programming experiments and logging sensor data and system states. This framework also enabled access to logged data, adjusting controller parameters, and performing diagnostics through a graphical interface both locally and remotely. Example applications were developed using the application development framework to showcase the capability of the system to execute custom control algorithms and experiment procedures for automated study and information capture. Hardware and software were designed with focus on modularity and scalability, respectively, allowing integration of additional hardware components (sensors and actuators) and connecting multiple devices to the cloud framework. Results of the actuator and sensor tests revealed their capabilities, limitation, and also improvement areas such as chamber insulation for better thermal performance. These results also indicated that Sensors S1-S4 \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline \hline
**Parameter** & **Value** \\ \hline Chamber dimension (L,W,H) & 0.57 m, 0.37 m, 0.37 m \\ \hline Chamber volume & 75 L \\ \hline Growing area & 0.12 m\({}^{2}\) \\ \hline Temperature range & 20 \({}^{\circ}\)C above and 10 \({}^{\circ}\)C below ambient temperature \\ \hline Thermal losses & 4.22 W K\({}^{-1}\) \\ \hline Gas leakage & 0.231 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-6}\) m\({}^{3}\) s\({}^{-1}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Chamber unit specification. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Component** & **Type** & **Output Max.** & **Voltage** & **Current Max.** \\ \hline Power supply unit & \begin{tabular}{c} Desktop AC-DC \\ converter \\ \end{tabular} & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\), \(21\,\mathrm{A}\) & \(240\,\mathrm{V}\) AC & \(1.1\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Gas circulation pumps & Mass flow & \
\begin{tabular}{c} \(0.25\times 10^{-3}\,\mathrm{m}^{3}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) \\ (15 L\(\,\mathrm{min}^{-1}\)) \\ \end{tabular} & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(1.6\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Water circulation pumps & Mass flow &
\begin{tabular}{c} \(3.8\times 10^{-3}\,\mathrm{kg}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) \\ (0.23 L\(\,\mathrm{min}^{-1}\)) \\ \end{tabular} & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(0.6\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Humidifier & Mass conversion & \(0.01\times 10^{-3}\,\mathrm{kg}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) & \(5\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(0.35\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline TEC unit & Heat Transfer & \(126\,\mathrm{W}\) & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(11\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline LED Panel (White) & Luminous flux & \(2400\,\mathrm{lm}\) & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(1.5\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline LED Panel (RGB) & Luminous flux & \(1200\,\mathrm{lm}\) & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(1.2\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Sensor unit & – & – & \(5\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(0.2\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Control unit & – & – & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(NA\) \\ \hline Internal circulation fans & – & – & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(0.34\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline Water cooled heat exchanger & – & – & \(12\,\mathrm{V}\) & \(0.58\,\mathrm{A}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Energy consumption and output specification of system components. performed well in measuring the required parameters while Sensor S5 could be replaced for a more robust moisture sensor when available. Experiments performed with plants and larvae generated data that can be used to perform quantitative studies on the biomass and byproduct production. These experiments also provided data that can help study growth processes and their responses to the environmental factors. The designed system fulfills the requirements of a controlled environment that is programmable, low-cost (<1000 EUR), open-source based, and suitable for small plants, insect larvae, and mushrooms.