Made Like Nothing Else
in Tech.
Every NIH-01 shell concept explores raw stoneware clay formulation to unite precision biometric instrumentation with biophilic ceramic craftsmanship.
Stoneware Ceramic Body
Fired at 1250°C — Karnataka clay, wheel-thrown by hand
Clay sourced from Karnataka laterite deposits — high iron content, exceptional thermal mass
Wheel-thrown by resident ceramic artist at our Bengaluru studio, never slip-cast or moulded
Bisque fired at 900°C, then high-fired at 1250°C for 14 hours to vitrification
Zero plastic in the shell — no ABS, no polycarbonate, no rubber gaskets on exterior
Develops a natural patina over years of use, like cast iron — each unit becomes unique
Cradle-to-gate carbon footprint 60% lower than injection-moulded plastic equivalents
Engineering Note:Stoneware at 1250°C reaches near-zero porosity — liquid cannot penetrate the clay body. This is not decorative; it is functional protection for the electronics inside.
FLIR Lepton 3.5 Thermal Core
160×120 uncooled LWIR — NETD <50mK, 57° FOV
160×120 pixel uncooled VOx microbolometer thermal imaging array
NETD (Noise-Equivalent Temperature Difference) <50mK — detects 0.05°C leaf temperature variance
57° horizontal field of view — covers a standard 30cm plant canopy from 25cm distance
Factory-calibrated with FLIR's Tau 2 coefficient set for ambient 15°C–35°C indoor environments
Long-wave infrared (LWIR) 8–14μm detection window — invisible to the plant, invisible to you
Embedded inside a custom LWIR borosilicate window set into the ceramic body
Engineering Note:FLIR Lepton 3.5 is the same thermal core used in FLIR ONE Pro and DJI Zenmuse thermal drones. NIH-01 is the first consumer plant device to embed it.
Bosch BME688 Quad-Gas Sensor
VOC, CO₂ equiv, H₂, ethanol — 4-in-1 on 3×3mm die
Integrated VOC (volatile organic compound) index, equivalent CO₂, H₂, and ethanol channels
±3% relative humidity accuracy, ±0.5°C temperature accuracy, 0.1Pa pressure resolution
AI-powered AI scan mode — trains a gas mixture classifier directly on sensor's internal processor
Detects plant-emitted ethylene (ripening signal), terpene stress markers, and root rot VOCs
Operating range: –40°C to +85°C, 0–100% RH non-condensing
Current draw in ultra-low power mode: 0.1μA — runs continuously without measurable impact on battery
Engineering Note:Plants emit specific VOC profiles when stressed, diseased, or thriving. BME688 lets NIH-01 detect pathogen onset and air quality simultaneously — before the plant shows visible symptoms.
ESP32-S3 Dual-Core Compute
240MHz, 8MB Flash, 512KB SRAM, TinyML Vector Extensions
ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor running at 240MHz for energy-efficient edge processing
8MB flash, 512KB SRAM — ideal for quantized TinyML model inference and local sensor buffers
Vector instructions for neural network acceleration in domestic biophysical monitoring
Integrated Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE wireless connectivity
Target inference latency <50ms for on-device sensor fusion classification
Secure boot with hardware encryption for reliable local edge execution
Engineering Note:We chose the ESP32-S3 for its balance of low-power efficiency, vector extensions, and integrated wireless connectivity in a ceramic enclosure. Running TinyML on-device ensures complete privacy and zero cloud latency.
Braided Copper Speaker Grille
40mm full-range driver — 2W, 100Hz–20kHz response
Grille hand-woven from 0.3mm annealed copper wire in 16-strand herringbone braid
40mm full-range neodymium driver — single-element design avoids crossover phase distortion
Frequency response 100Hz–20kHz (±3dB) — warm enough for speech, clear enough for high-pitched alert tones
2W RMS output — enough to be clearly audible across a 20m² room at 60dB SPL
Copper was chosen over steel mesh for acoustics: 20% lower mass allows higher excursion at low frequencies
Patinates to a warm brown over time — intended. The speaker grille ages with the ceramic.
Engineering Note:NTE™ voice output is engineered so plant speech feels warm and organic — not like an alarm or a notification. The copper grille's natural resonance contributes to the timbre we've tuned for.
Recycled Packaging
100% post-consumer recycled — soy ink, zero plastic
100% post-consumer recycled corrugated cardboard box — FSC certified
All printing done with soy-based ink — biodegradable, lower VOC than petroleum inks
Void fill: shredded paper from offcuts of our own documentation printing runs
No foam, no polystyrene, no plastic blister packs — unit nestles in a die-cut paper tray
QR code insert links to full teardown guide, repair instructions, and spare parts store
Outer box doubles as a seed germination kit — instructions printed inside the lid
Engineering Note:We designed the packaging to be opened slowly. The unboxing experience is deliberately tactile and quiet — a counter to the hyper-branded, plastic-heavy norm in consumer electronics.
From Clay to Finished Unit
Six stages of hand assembly and kiln firing — each documented and signed for every unit.
Clay Wedging & Form Calibration
Stoneware clay is wedged to remove air pockets and thrown to the target body wall thickness of 6mm.
Wheel Forming & Port Machining
The body is shaped to form a biophilic cylinder with an acoustic cavity and recessed base plate for sensor PCB mounting.
Bisque Firing Target (900°C)
Dried ceramic shells undergo bisque firing to harden the clay and prepare the surface for the thermal optics inset.
LWIR Thermal Window Seating
The FLIR LWIR thermal window target is placed into the pre-formed recess and sealed with a high-temperature silicone bead.
High Firing Vitrification (1250°C)
The ceramic shell re-enters the kiln for high-firing to achieve stoneware vitrification and durability.
Prototype Assembly & Calibration
PCB, Lepton 3.5 core, BME688, and speaker driver are seated in sequence. Prototype firmware is flashed for benchtop sensor validation.
“Each unit is signed by the ceramic artist and the firmware engineer who tested it.”
Vriksh Vani — NIH-01 Batch 01, Bengaluru