A company called Bios Urn finally has an answer to the question, "What happens when the circle of life gets a Wifi connection?"
Meet the Bios Incube, a smartphone-connected planter that turns cremated remains into a tree ready for planting.
Cremation has become increasingly popular in the US over the last decade: 2015 was the first year more people opted for cremation than traditional burials — a trend driven by cremation's simplicity and low cost.
Bios Urn wants to cater to that new crowd's sensibilities and offer a way to transform a loved one (or yourself) into a new piece of nature.
"The intent of the Bios Incube is to offer people a sustainable alternative for remembering deceased persons or pets in a natural and contemporary way," the company explains on its Kickstarter page. "Everyone has the right to affordable, sustainable death care."
Bios Incube is meant to be almost entirely hands-off, the designers say.
After loading a person's remains into the biodegradable Bios Urn and placing it inside the Bios Incube, the only thing left is to fit a sensor on top of the soil.
That sensor, provided with the rest of the materials, keeps track of the soil's health and regulates the flow of water from the Incube's internal tank via a smartphone app.
The sensor, in fact, may be the most important part of the entire growing process.
Among its duties: tracking the moisture level and temperature of the soil and measuring the humidity and temperature of the surrounding air. This data automatically shows up in the user's app with suggestions on how to proceed, such as refilling the water tank or moving the cube into a warmer climate.
Once the sapling peeks through the soil, the tree is ready to be removed from the Incube and planted.
Bios Urn has raised nearly $33,000 of its stated goal of $66,034, with 26 days to go. If you don't need the new-fangled connection with a smartphone app, however, Bios Urn already sells various soil mixes on its website.
Customers can choose between maple, pine, beech, ash, and ginko. Each one costs $145.
