BIOBOX ECOSYSTEM: A MODULAR ECOSYSTEM DEMONSTRATION TOOL WITH AUTOMATIC MEDIA CONDITION MONITORING AND WATER DISTRIBUTION

Abstract

This invention is a demonstration device that combines a multi-level modular frame, a terrestrial ecosystem module, an aquatic ecosystem module, a reservoir, a control panel, an electronic controller, a media humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a display, a water pump, and a water channel. All three modules are individual containers located at different levels. The pump is connected to the reservoir and supplies water to the terrestrial ecosystem module through channels that are at least partially located in the visible portion of the frame. The controller periodically reads the sensors, displays the data and system status, activates the pump when the humidity is below a lower threshold, maintains the pump state when the value is between the two thresholds, and turns the pump off when the humidity reaches an upper threshold. This arrangement allows the relationship between media conditions, sensor data, controller decisions, and water distribution to be observed in a single demonstration device that can be produced as a learning kit.