Plant Diary

Touch & Grow

A porcelain digital diary that works without the need for sign-in or apps. It allows you to record and review every action you take with your plants, helping you create your own growing recipe. Made from biocompatible ceramic, it is heat-resistant, durable, and easy to clean.

YEAR

—

CLIENT

iBebot

EXPERTISE

Development Study
Industrial Design
Electronic Design
Firmware Development
Prototyping
Certification
Testing & Qualification
Mass Production

The Challenge

Plant lovers often want to remember what they watered, fertilized, pruned, or repotted, as well as when they did it. Our goal is to build a digital plant log—an easy way for users to track their plant-care tasks without a complicated setup.

The idea was simple: A quick tap with a smartphone. No sign-in. No app installation. Just tap, write, and keep growing.

The real challenge came when we started designing the physical tag itself. Whatever we created had to survive alongside the plant through watering, sunlight, soil moisture, and everything else nature provides. It had to be durable, safe for soil contact, and able to last months outdoors without warping, molding, or breaking down.

Our first idea was to use a natural material: bamboo-based wood. It felt appropriate—warm, organic, and visually appealing. We made early prototypes and placed them directly into soil for long-term testing.

After a month, the results revealed what we needed to know. The part buried in soil showed dark discoloration, and the layers began to bend and separate with only slight pressure. Whether the darkening was mold or just moisture absorption, the message was clear: wood couldn’t provide the long-term stability or reliability that Plant Diary needed.

That testing phase shaped the future direction of the project.

Bamboo-based wood

Porcelain Ceramic

Our Approach

We focused on materials that could resist moisture, stay stable, and look good in a plant setting. This search led us to porcelain ceramic, a material often used in dental restorations.

Porcelain met all our needs:

Highly stable even with prolonged moisture exposure
Biocompatible and safe around soil and plants
Smooth and stain-resistant
Durable and heat-resistant

Once we selected the right material, we improved the electronics. Plant Diary uses a passive NFC chip, so it works instantly with a smartphone. There’s no need for charging, pairing, or an app for its main features.

However, we knew plant owners would want a better way to store, organize, and revisit their plant histories. So we created Dashboard+, a cloud-based space where every action recorded through Plant Diary can be backed up and displayed nicely.

In Dashboard+, users can:

Review all actions taken for each plant
See daily and weekly logs
Upload personal photos and notes
Track long-term care patterns and growth progress

This setup allowed us to keep the product simple while still offering a richer experience for those who want a more complete digital journal.

Next, we proceeded with firmware development, prototyping, environmental testing, certification, and finally mass production—all done in-house.

The Result

Plant Diary is a durable, simple, and elegant companion for plant owners who want to understand their plants better without adding more apps to their lives.

The final product offers:

A beautifully crafted porcelain ceramic body that is waterproof, mildewproof, stain-resistant, and easy to clean.
IP65 protection, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Instant use via NFC with no sign-in needed.
Dashboard+ cloud access for those who want a deeper look at their plant's care history, including logs, photos, and notes.
Compatibility with any pot, soil type, and plant.

What started as a simple idea, along with a wooden prototype that didn’t survive the soil, developed into a stable and well-designed tool. Plant Diary helps plant owners create own growing recipes, understand care habits, and stay connected with the life that slowly unfolds in their pots.

It’s a small object, but it is made to grow with you.