Overview

A home seaweed growing device for elderly users as part of a local supply chain. The device forms part of a wider service with produce being picked up from grower's households and delivered directly to community kitchens. Excess food is sold locally, generating income to support the kitchens.

Skills

Service Design

Research

Rendering：Keyshot

CAD：Solidworks, Fusion 360

SEAWEED GROWING

SEAWEED GROWING

(ID)

Research


From 2020 to 2021, 4.2 million people in the UK lived in food poverty. 72% of UK food banks reported a drop in donations and 87% experienced supply issues from April 2022.

Community kitchens are currently reliant on grocery donations from shops to collect fresh ingredients. However, this does not provide a dependable flow of nutritional ingredients to provide reliable meals for a set number of recipients. As cost of living rises and a growing number of UK residents are struggling with finances, demand on food kitchens is expected to increase steadily. To keep up with this growing demand, food kitchens will need to find dependable, viable sources of nutritional

Stakeholder


The primary product and service stakeholders will be the volunteers and workers in community food kitchens who will not have direct contact with the product, but will be managing their own service based on the frequency and quantity of delivered produce. Their stake is heightened by the dependence on local growers produce. Without the produce, they cannot function.


User


The primary user will be retired, aged approximately 60+ years of age. They will be living either independently or with a partner in a city, potentially having downsized to accommodate their retirement lifestyle. They may struggle with maintaining a daily routine and upholding a sense of accomplishment.
They will already have gardening as a hobby, and are interested in growing their own food. Users will be looking for a way to form and maintain connections within the community to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation during retirement.

Stakeholder


The primary product and service stakeholders will be the volunteers and workers in community food kitchens who will not have direct contact with the product, but will be managing their own service based on the frequency and quantity of delivered produce. Their stake is heightened by the dependence on local growers produce. Without the produce, they cannot function.


User


The primary user will be retired, aged approximately 60+ years of age. They will be living either independently or with a partner in a city, potentially having downsized to accommodate their retirement lifestyle. They may struggle with maintaining a daily routine and upholding a sense of accomplishment.
They will already have gardening as a hobby, and are interested in growing their own food. Users will be looking for a way to form and maintain connections within the community to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation during retirement.


Product Design

Seaweeds


· Research shows that there are a number of nutritionally dense food sources that contain numerous vitamins and antioxidants.
· A number of these foods require special growing conditions such as a saltwater tank to grow seaweed and precise temperature control for blueberries.
· Home growing technology needs to be implemented to allow more people to grow these nutritionally dense foods at home.
· Research shows that hydroponic technology is an exponentially growing market. should integrate this technology into the home environment..


After research, it was found that seaweeds are very nutritious and easy to grow, the tank need to meet the following requirements


· Seaweed will grow at its optimum rate when the temperature of the water is 27 degrees C.
· Temperature sensors and heaters could automate the temperature regulation process.
· Fertilizer needs to be used to give the seaweed nutrients. Nutrient levels could be monitored and automatic nutrient dispensers could be used to regulate the nutrient levels in the tank.





CAD Development


After sketching, quick CAD build in SolidWorks and finally chose the Tank with its double pods and friendly shape.


Ended up with the basic shape was looking for, and based on the CAD made a prototype out of cardboard and tested the prototype with the target user to make further adjustments based on feedback.


Updated the product based on feedback


“Not easy to move: add wheels to the bottom

“Cable issues: add cable management element

“Not easy to remove the pods: lower the height and press to eject the pods

“Screen angle test: 30 degree angle to the ground

slides the cutting blade to remove the seaweed blades.





Experience prototyping

Exploring the versatility of seaweed, it was incorporated into various recipes during the testing phase. From seaweed wraps to omelets, the experimentation showcased the adaptability and potential of seaweed to enhance a wide range of dishes. This culinary exploration highlighted the diverse applications of seaweed, ensuring its versatility and appeal in different culinary contexts.


Branding

The logo is intended to convey that ALGA is an organic, healthy and sustainable brand, so the colour of the brand is eco-friendly green, and as the main target group is the elderly the logo is rounded to present a friendly and organic ecology.The main element of the logo was taken from the seaweed and combined with the circle to create the final logo, the font is minimalist and technological to express the future of the menu.


I have designed the brand identity ,LOGO.


Any leftover food / produce not used to cook meals with by the community kitchen can be sold to consumers to create an additional revenue steam to support the kitchen.


Service System

A circular system focusing on the seaweed growth. The service is subscription based and targeted towards the elderly. The home grower will rent the growing pod and the unit will be installed in the users home.
The home grower can then utilise the grown produce for their own personal use. The other half of the produce will be picked up and go out for delivery to the local food kitchen.
Each time the produce is collected, the user will receive new seeding pods. This creates a closed cycle within the service and therefore a constant reliable supply of nutritional produce to the food kitchen.


Rendering

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