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| report [2018/06/27 14:42] – [7.8 Prototype Assembly] team1 | report [2018/06/27 15:48] (current) – [5.5 Life Cycle Analysis] team1 | ||
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| The goal is to create a Vertical farming module that will reduce the space of traditional farming and it will make it easier for the average people to incorporate farming into their daily lives. | The goal is to create a Vertical farming module that will reduce the space of traditional farming and it will make it easier for the average people to incorporate farming into their daily lives. | ||
| - | We will achieve the goal by making a modular product which will contain several crops inside. It will be aeroponics so that we will eliminate the need of using soil and we will grow the crops using water and fertilizers alone. Additionally, | + | We will achieve the goal by making a modular product which will contain several crops inside. It will be aeroponics so that we will eliminate the need for using soil and we will grow the crops using water and fertilizers alone. Additionally, |
| Finally, all of the automation will be controlled by an android application so that the user that owns the product will be able to select and monitor which plant is being grown into the specific module. | Finally, all of the automation will be controlled by an android application so that the user that owns the product will be able to select and monitor which plant is being grown into the specific module. | ||
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| * integrated structures | * integrated structures | ||
| - | Today, most vertical farming products and projects evolve into indoor vertical farming. By moving the process indoors, all the environmental aspects such as humidity, light, water supply, etc. can be controlled with fine-grain precision in this way or another. It can be done using artificial light to mimic sunlight, customized water piping system suited for watering the plants, and usually employs electronic hardware and dedicated software to observe and control the water supply, humidity, temperature, | + | Today, most vertical farming products and projects evolve into indoor vertical farming. By moving the process indoors, all the environmental aspects such as humidity, light, water supply, etc., can be controlled with fine-grain precision in one way or another. It can be done using artificial light to mimic sunlight, customized water piping system suited for watering the plants, and usually employs electronic hardware and dedicated software to observe and control the water supply, humidity, temperature, |
| With the highly controllable environment comes high efficiency in resource management. Crops harvested through the means of vertical farming can use numerous times less water and energy than their conventional " | With the highly controllable environment comes high efficiency in resource management. Crops harvested through the means of vertical farming can use numerous times less water and energy than their conventional " | ||
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| Extensive research which would cover all the aforementioned spectrum of cases and applications would be overly time-consuming. The team decided therefore in advance to focus on just a single branch of these devices' | Extensive research which would cover all the aforementioned spectrum of cases and applications would be overly time-consuming. The team decided therefore in advance to focus on just a single branch of these devices' | ||
| - | Among arguments in favor of this approach were given: | + | Among arguments in favour |
| * Small scale more suitable for limited budget of ours | * Small scale more suitable for limited budget of ours | ||
| * Use case giving huge odds for the device to be placed indoors, in a steady and safe environment | * Use case giving huge odds for the device to be placed indoors, in a steady and safe environment | ||
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| <WRAP group> | <WRAP group> | ||
| - | Our team created a graph about the scope of the project. This is because we do not want to mix the responsibilities and we would like to have a good overview of what we need to do in our project and we can schedule the time much easier. The scope of our project is written down visually in **Figure {{ref> | + | Our team created a graph about the scope of the project. This is because we do not want to mix the responsibilities and we would like to have a good overview of what we need to do in our project and we can schedule the time much easier. The scope of our project is written down visually in **Figure {{ref> |
| <figure scope> | <figure scope> | ||
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| |LED element - for plants |2 |N/A |3.60 € |7.20 € |Bot' | |LED element - for plants |2 |N/A |3.60 € |7.20 € |Bot' | ||
| |LED element - feedback |2 |CC RGB diode |1.10 € |2.20 € |Bot' | |LED element - feedback |2 |CC RGB diode |1.10 € |2.20 € |Bot' | ||
| - | |LED holder |1 |N/A |0.15 € |0.15 € |Bot' | + | |LED holder |1 |N/A |0.15 € |0.15 € |Bot' |
| |Voltage Regulator |1 |12 V to 9 V |4.90 € |4.90 € |Bot' | |Voltage Regulator |1 |12 V to 9 V |4.90 € |4.90 € |Bot' | ||
| - | |Water pump |1 |d 8.2 mm |11.65 € |11.65 € |Bot' | + | |Water pump |1 |d 8.2 mm |11.65 € |11.65 € |Bot' |
| - | |Protoboard |2 |22x26 holes |1.50 € |3.00 € |Bot' | + | |Protoboard |2 |22x26 holes |1.50 € |3.00 € |Bot' |
| - | |Water level sensor |1 |N/A |2.20 € |2.20 € |ElectroFun | | + | |Water level sensor |1 |N/A |2.20 € |2.20 € |ElectroFun | |
| - | |Luminescence sensor |1 |N/A |6.50 € |6.50 € |Bot' | + | |Luminescence sensor |1 |N/A |6.50 € |6.50 € |Bot' |
| |Pin Headers |1 |Come in packs of 40 |0.60 € |0.60 € |Bot' | |Pin Headers |1 |Come in packs of 40 |0.60 € |0.60 € |Bot' | ||
| - | |M-M jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' | + | |M-M jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' |
| - | |M-F jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' | + | |M-F jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' |
| - | |F-F jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' | + | |F-F jumpers |1 |Come in packs of 10 |2.00 € |2.00 € |Bot' |
| |Transistor - bipolar NPN |4 |2N2222 - Beta ~ 70 |0.15 € |0.60 € |Bot' | |Transistor - bipolar NPN |4 |2N2222 - Beta ~ 70 |0.15 € |0.60 € |Bot' | ||
| - | |Transistor - bipolar NPN |2 |TIP120 | + | |Transistor - bipolar NPN |2 |TIP120 |
| - | |Resistor - high valued |5 |2.2 kΩ |0.05 € |0.25 € |ElectroFun | | + | |Resistor - high valued |5 |2.2 kΩ |0.05 € |0.25 € |ElectroFun | |
| - | |Resistor - low valued |5 |1 kΩ |0.05 € |0.25 € |Bot' | + | |Resistor - low valued |5 |1 kΩ |0.05 € |0.25 € |Bot' |
| - | |Capacitor - high valued |4 |1 uF |0.10 € |0.40 € |ElectroFun | | + | |Capacitor - high valued |4 |1 uF |0.10 € |0.40 € |ElectroFun | |
| - | |Capacitor - low valued |4 |100 nF |0.10 € |0.40 € |Bot' | + | |Capacitor - low valued |4 |100 nF |0.10 € |0.40 € |Bot' |
| |Diodes |2 |1N4001 rectifying diode |0.10 € |0.20 € |Bot' | |Diodes |2 |1N4001 rectifying diode |0.10 € |0.20 € |Bot' | ||
| - | |Cable |1 |Rigid core, sold in 25 m roll |2.90 € |2.90 € |Bot' | + | |Cable |1 |Rigid core, sold in 25 m roll |2.90 € |2.90 € |Bot' |
| - | |Power source |1 |1 A unit |6.00 € |6.00 € |Bot' | + | |Power source |1 |1 A unit |6.00 € |6.00 € |Bot' |
| - | |Power source adapter |1 |With grip terminals |1.00 € |1.00 € |Bot' | + | |Power source adapter |1 |With grip terminals |1.00 € |1.00 € |Bot' |
| |Project box for electronics |1 |85x85x39 mm with 12 outputs |2.75 € |2.75 € |ElectroFun | | |Project box for electronics |1 |85x85x39 mm with 12 outputs |2.75 € |2.75 € |ElectroFun | | ||
| ^Shipping costs^^^^^^ | ^Shipping costs^^^^^^ | ||
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| | Ethical Research | | Ethical Research | ||
| | Sustainability Research | Anastasia | Anastasia | | | Sustainability Research | Anastasia | Anastasia | | ||
| - | | **Task identification & Problem Definition** | + | | **Task identification & Problem Definition** |
| | Roles and Division | | Roles and Division | ||
| | Gantt | Mile | Audrey and Mile | | | Gantt | Mile | Audrey and Mile | | ||
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| - | Many people narrow-mindedly think that marketing means only “selling” or “advertising.” It is partially true but marketing is much more. It is a lot of activities that create a link between the brand and the consumer. The marketing approach of a successful company is to understand and fulfill | + | Many people narrow-mindedly think that marketing means only “selling” or “advertising.” It is partially true but marketing is much more. It is a lot of activities that create a link between the brand and the consumer. The marketing approach of a successful company is to understand and fulfil |
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| <WRAP half column> | <WRAP half column> | ||
| - | Before we start the market analysis, it will be necessary to determine the problem statement. This preliminary analysis will be used to understand what will be our work environment, | + | Before we start the market analysis, it will be necessary to determine the problem statement. This preliminary analysis will be used to understand what will be our work environment, |
| The whole market analysis can be cut in 3 parts (described in **Figure {{ref> | The whole market analysis can be cut in 3 parts (described in **Figure {{ref> | ||
| * The macro-environment | * The macro-environment | ||
| * The meso-environment (not analyzed here) | * The meso-environment (not analyzed here) | ||
| - | * The micro-environment (defined | + | * The micro-environment (defined |
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| == - POLITICAL/ | == - POLITICAL/ | ||
| - | Is how product interacts with the law in the target countries. | + | Is how the product interacts with the law in the target countries. |
| __Opportunities: | __Opportunities: | ||
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| **SUPPLIERS' | **SUPPLIERS' | ||
| - | **THREATS | + | **THREAT |
| **RIVALRY IN THE INDUSTRY** (ie. state of the art) of vertical farming | **RIVALRY IN THE INDUSTRY** (ie. state of the art) of vertical farming | ||
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| The goal must be easy, clear, exact and understandable easily by everyone. If it is not the case, we must decompose it in several shorters. | The goal must be easy, clear, exact and understandable easily by everyone. If it is not the case, we must decompose it in several shorters. | ||
| Our main objective is to be competitive in the vertical farming market. Not really specific objective, that is why we can decompose it (ie. project planning) | Our main objective is to be competitive in the vertical farming market. Not really specific objective, that is why we can decompose it (ie. project planning) | ||
| - | * Analyses what is a vertical farm and the needs characteristics to fulfill | + | * Analyses what is a vertical farm and the needs characteristics to fulfil |
| * Analyse perfectly the rivalry on the actual market to be competitive on the market. What added value can we create ? in our case the smartphone application and the aeroponic system | * Analyse perfectly the rivalry on the actual market to be competitive on the market. What added value can we create ? in our case the smartphone application and the aeroponic system | ||
| * Define our target customers. Rural and hurry people wanted a garden but without have the time to work in. Nature lovers, biological and health affected and connected users. | * Define our target customers. Rural and hurry people wanted a garden but without have the time to work in. Nature lovers, biological and health affected and connected users. | ||
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| __North of Europe:__ Vereatable is created to answer to this country with sometimes a cold weather, without a lot of sun per years. With our product, their garden will be indoor and the light will be controlled by a captor and LED automatized if during the day plants did not have enough sun. | __North of Europe:__ Vereatable is created to answer to this country with sometimes a cold weather, without a lot of sun per years. With our product, their garden will be indoor and the light will be controlled by a captor and LED automatized if during the day plants did not have enough sun. | ||
| - | __South of Europe:__ In theses country plants needs a lot of water, thanks to our aeroponic system this quantity can be reduced. In this kind of country they are a lot of sun, maybe we will develop a Vereatable with the LED system. | + | __South of Europe:__ In theses country plants needs a lot of water, thanks to our aeroponic system this quantity can be reduced. In this kind of country they is a lot of sunlight, maybe we will develop a Vereatable with the LED system. |
| - | Moreover, with Vereatable, no more need of soil and a lot of space neither, it will be very useful for big cities. | + | Moreover, with Vereatable, no more need for soil and a lot of space neither, it will be very useful for big cities. |
| == - Demographics == | == - Demographics == | ||
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| ==== - Positioning strategy of brand ==== | ==== - Positioning strategy of brand ==== | ||
| - | A brand is defined by its identity (Vereatable), | + | A brand is defined by its identity (Vereatable), |
| <WRAP centeralign> | <WRAP centeralign> | ||
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| - VER(T) in french mean green | - VER(T) in french mean green | ||
| - | The bands on the top of " | + | The bands on the top of " |
| Finally " | Finally " | ||
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| - __Vertical farming__: to allow urban people to have a real garden indoor. A vertical farm saves more place than a simple garden, moreover, you can put your vertical garden indoor so it is not sudden the weather. The most important is that the food you will grow with Vereatable will be biological without toxical products. No more excuses to eat healthily, not it will not be expensive and far neither because it will be at home just next to you. | - __Vertical farming__: to allow urban people to have a real garden indoor. A vertical farm saves more place than a simple garden, moreover, you can put your vertical garden indoor so it is not sudden the weather. The most important is that the food you will grow with Vereatable will be biological without toxical products. No more excuses to eat healthily, not it will not be expensive and far neither because it will be at home just next to you. | ||
| - | - __Autonomous system of distribution (water, light)__: As we know our customers' | + | - __Autonomous system of distribution (water, light)__: As we know our target |
| - __Few consumption of water and electricity power__: The word " | - __Few consumption of water and electricity power__: The word " | ||
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| * **Communication: | * **Communication: | ||
| - | As we are a new brand the communication is really important. At the beginning make some '" | + | As we are a new brand the communication is really important. At the beginning make some '" |
| * **Cost to satisfy: ** | * **Cost to satisfy: ** | ||
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| ==== - Budget ==== | ==== - Budget ==== | ||
| - | To be competitive in a new market we must be present in the media to catch the attention of our possible customers, we must communicate with them. The advertising part is really important to make people know our brand and our product, to share our values. | + | To be competitive in a new market we must be present in the media to catch the attention of our possible customers, we must communicate with them. The advertising part is really important to make people know about our brand and our product, to share our values. |
| <WRAP half column> | <WRAP half column> | ||
| Line 1353: | Line 1353: | ||
| ==== - Introduction ==== | ==== - Introduction ==== | ||
| - | Current agricultural systems are not as effective or sustainable as they should or could be. Vertical agriculture is a promising solution to the disadvantages of traditional agriculture. Compared to traditional farming, vertical crops use 70 to 95 percent | + | Current agricultural systems are not as effective or sustainable as they should or could be. Vertical agriculture is a promising solution to the disadvantages of traditional agriculture. Compared to traditional farming, vertical crops use 70 to 95 per cent less water and over 90 per cent less land and harvest 80 per cent more per unit area. The Vertical Farming Association, |
| ==== - Environmental | ==== - Environmental | ||
| Line 1400: | Line 1400: | ||
| **Materials** | **Materials** | ||
| - | The team wanted to use, for the main structure, | + | The team wanted to use, for the main structure, |
| **Manufacturing** | **Manufacturing** | ||
| - | During the manufacturing, | + | During the manufacturing, |
| **Distribution** | **Distribution** | ||
| - | The Team used materials from local providers in Portugal. For packaging the product would be sent to the customers assembled, and with easy instructions | + | The Team used materials from local providers in Portugal. For packaging, the product would be sent to the customers assembled, and with easy instructions on how to connect multiple compartments in case a customer |
| **Use** | **Use** | ||
| - | The Vereatable, indoor garden is for home use. It can be used for the growth of plants, vegetables, herbs even flowers. It has an autonomous water and light system with components working with sensors, to save energy. The components turning on and off at different times depending on the plants | + | The Vereatable, indoor garden is for home use. It can be used for the growth of plants, vegetables, herbs even flowers. It has an autonomous water and light system with components working with sensors, to save energy. The components turning on and off at different times depending on the plant' |
| **End of Life** | **End of Life** | ||
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| Ethics and deontological concerns are an important pillar of any company' | Ethics and deontological concerns are an important pillar of any company' | ||
| - | Because of the variation of areas in our team we believe that the ethical | + | Because of the variation of areas in our team we believe that the ethical |
| ==== - Engineering Ethics ==== | ==== - Engineering Ethics ==== | ||
| - | The profession of an engineer is particularly important, given that it is generally accepted that, as long as this profession is concerned, there is a work that has a direct and positive impact on the quality of life of all human beings. By analogy, the services offered by the engineers require honesty, objectivity, | + | The profession of an engineer is particularly important, given that it is generally accepted that, as long as this profession is concerned, there is a work that has a direct and positive impact on the quality of life of all human beings. By analogy, the services offered by the engineers require honesty, objectivity, |
| Every country has its own organization which describes ethical guidelines for engineers. | Every country has its own organization which describes ethical guidelines for engineers. | ||
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| The principles of operation as depicted in the previous section, albeit very likely valid for a commercial scale development prototype of the device, proved not to be compatible with our limited budget - for instance, having multiple solenoids valves depletes our money allocation almost instantly, with them being sold for an average of 10 € a piece. Not so complex and possibly slightly less functional solution - in the industry sometimes referred to as Minimum Viable Product - had to be assumed as a proof of concept, one that possibly could convince a sponsor or the crowdfunding community that the general idea is valid and the project should be expanded further based on this initial iteration. | The principles of operation as depicted in the previous section, albeit very likely valid for a commercial scale development prototype of the device, proved not to be compatible with our limited budget - for instance, having multiple solenoids valves depletes our money allocation almost instantly, with them being sold for an average of 10 € a piece. Not so complex and possibly slightly less functional solution - in the industry sometimes referred to as Minimum Viable Product - had to be assumed as a proof of concept, one that possibly could convince a sponsor or the crowdfunding community that the general idea is valid and the project should be expanded further based on this initial iteration. | ||
| - | The electrical schematics for such an MVP prototype is given in **Figure {{ref> | + | The electrical schematics for such an MVP prototype is given in **Figure {{ref> |
| <WRAP centeralign> | <WRAP centeralign> | ||
| Line 1507: | Line 1507: | ||
| | Orange | 9 V | 9 V supply circuit for appropriate devices | | | Orange | 9 V | 9 V supply circuit for appropriate devices | | ||
| | Yellow | 3.3 V | 3.3 V supply circuit for appropriate devices | | | Yellow | 3.3 V | 3.3 V supply circuit for appropriate devices | | ||
| - | | Purple | Analogue | Communication buses operating with analog | + | | Purple | Analogue | Communication buses operating with analogue |
| | Blue | PWM | Control buses operating with Pulse Width Modulation | | | Blue | PWM | Control buses operating with Pulse Width Modulation | | ||
| | Cyan | I2C | Serial Master-Slave communication buses | | | Cyan | I2C | Serial Master-Slave communication buses | | ||
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| |Chassis |4 |MDF pieces, uncut | Raw material, to be used for the creation of the chassis in the University' | |Chassis |4 |MDF pieces, uncut | Raw material, to be used for the creation of the chassis in the University' | ||
| |Water distribution - T-joint |1 |d 16 | Necessary to split the water flow into two separate plat chalices | 1.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | |Water distribution - T-joint |1 |d 16 | Necessary to split the water flow into two separate plat chalices | 1.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | ||
| - | |Water distribution - Hose |1 |d 8 / d 11, roll of 5 m | Core piece of the distribution system | 5.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | + | |Water distribution - Hose |1 |d 8 / d 11, a roll of 5 m | Core piece of the distribution system | 5.99 € |Leroy Merlin | |
| - | |Plant chalice |2 |d 90 to d 40 reduction | Structural elements for the compartment where the plants are being held and watered | 2.98 € |Leroy Merlin | | + | |Plant chalice |2 |d 90 to d 40 reduction | Structural elements for the compartment where the plants are being held and watered | 2.98 € |Leroy Merlin | |
| |Water collector - bend |1 |d 40, 45' angle | Structural element for the unused water' | |Water collector - bend |1 |d 40, 45' angle | Structural element for the unused water' | ||
| - | |Water collector - fork |1 |d 40, 45' angle | As above | 1.19 € |Leroy Merlin | | + | |Water collector - fork |1 |d 40, 45' angle | As above | 1.19 € |Leroy Merlin | |
| - | |Water collector - tube |1 |d 40, 1 m | As above | 1.69 € |Leroy Merlin | | + | |Water collector - tube |1 |d 40, 1 m | As above | 1.69 € |Leroy Merlin | |
| |Water collector - insulation|1 |Kitchen & Bathroom use silicone | Securing the joints between separate elements | 1.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | |Water collector - insulation|1 |Kitchen & Bathroom use silicone | Securing the joints between separate elements | 1.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | ||
| - | |Water diffusers |1 |180' spread, come in packs of 10 | Used for creation of LPA environment for the plants | 2.99 € |Leroy Merlin | | + | |Water diffusers |1 |180' spread, come in packs of 10 | Used for creation of LPA environment for the plants | 2.99 € |Leroy Merlin | |
| ^ Electronic Components ^^^^^^ | ^ Electronic Components ^^^^^^ | ||
| | Wireless Microcontroller | 1 | ESP-12E NodeMcu | CPU-core of the device' | | Wireless Microcontroller | 1 | ESP-12E NodeMcu | CPU-core of the device' | ||
| Line 2181: | Line 2181: | ||
| ==== - Future Development ==== | ==== - Future Development ==== | ||
| - | Working within the time and budget constraints of the EPS meant that the product is never completely finished. Improvements can always be made. In the case of Vereatable, indoor garden further improvement in the sustainability factor of the product can always be made. | + | Working within the time and budget constraints of the EPS meant that the product is never completely finished. Improvements can always be made. In the case of Vereatable, indoor garden further improvement in the sustainability factor of the product can always be made.One of our ideas is to add a water quality control system so we can test samples and their conditions to eliminate toxic chemicals, and adjust nutritions before they enter our device. Because water source quality is of the highest importance to aeroponic and generally hydroponic systems. |
| - | A step in the project would also be to Upgrade the electronics used for the device to a set that could handle more calculations, | + | A step in the project would also be to Upgrade the electronics used for the device to a set that could handle more calculations, |
| - | And regarding the software development real-time data for the sensors, App section with farming tips and developing an iOS application. | + | |
| - | The research and development done by team 1, team SAMARA, of the EPS@ISEP provides a good base to work on new sustainable products regarding vertical farms. For example a sustainable autonomous indoor vertical garden, or even for industrial purposes. The team hopes to inspire new ideas to other people with our work because we believe that through our project on vertical farming we entered a field with great opportunities to change today' s agriculture impact on the environment and provide a more greener and sustainable way of life. | + | And regarding the software development we want to finish the Android App and do an iOS App,to have real-time data for the sensors and also an App section with farming tips and developing an iOS application. |
| + | |||
| + | The research and development done by team 1, team SAMARA, of the EPS@ISEP, provides a good base to work on new sustainable products regarding vertical farms. For example a sustainable autonomous indoor vertical garden, or even for industrial purposes. The team hopes to inspire new ideas to other people with our work because we believe that through our project on vertical farming we entered a field with great opportunities to change today' s agriculture impact on the environment and provide a more greener and sustainable way of life. | ||
| ===== - Bibliography ===== | ===== - Bibliography ===== | ||