Biobarrier Planter
Design Brief
The objective was to research into emerging technology and find a way to implement this new tech into a new system / product. Must be a new and emerging technology and must have a working prototype.
Context
The emerging tech that we chose to work with was biodegradable plastics. Our goal is to produce a more environmentally friendly alternative to black polymer sheeting (a cheap, but environmentally destructive method of protecting crops). It utilized as a row-cover in low-budget farming. We want to introduce the emerging technology of bio-polymers into a complete deployment system to replace the current system in place.
Note: this was a collaboration project with Colin Lynch
The current system
Black polyethylene sheeting is the current product utilized by low-budget farmers.
Pros: creates a physical barrier above soil, dissuading weed growth, and pest attacks, reducing the need for herbicide and pesticide use. It also helps retain moisture, reducing the amount of watering required.
Cons: The black polymer sheeting must be frequently replaced, and is not biodegradable; creating large quantities of waste at the end of each growing season. This waste either ends up in landfills, or pollutes the local environment in areas with insufficient infrastructure
Additionally, the traditional polymer sheeting requires a manual labour to deploy both deploy, and remove it.
Our solution : Biobarrier Planter
Bio-polymer Roll
Protective Cover
Drum Roller
Wheels
Rotary Tiller Motor
Our solution : Bio-polymer
Seed pod integration will let farms to seed wanted corps in the protecting phase of the plant. In addition to seeing the corps in one go, the Bio-polymer will start to slowly degrade and give extra nutrients to the corps.
Video of working prototype
General Dimension drawings
3D Rough render
