Overview
One of the first projects completed in my Technology, Engineering, and Design class was the Shark Tank PBL. This project consisted of inventing or innovating a tangible item or software that would be presented to a group of students and teachers similarly to the ABC series, “Shark Tank.”
Project
At the start of this project, Nathan Lawton and I started developing ideas for our project. Early on, we decided to complete our project on a device that would be used to help a global effort (climate change, world hunger, etc.). Our starting idea consisted of a self-purifying water bottle that uses a replaceable filter and UV light to both filter and eliminate foreign substances from water. As we completed research, we quickly found out that this product has been developed by many companies such as LARQ. Our next idea consisted of creating a device that would condense moisture in the atmosphere to be used as potable water. We also found that this product was in production. A company called Zero Mass Water developed a device called the Hyrdopanel that condenses moisture in the atmosphere to be used as convenient water.
As we continued brainstorming, the concept of agriculture in remote areas come across our minds. Millions if not billions of people do not have access to food because of economical and agricultural reasons. We began working on a device that could function as a “biosphere” that could be used to grow crops in areas that do not have the luxury of agriculture. We began sketching ideas for this project. This idea consisted of a poly-carbonate pod that would encapsulate the soil and crops.
The problem with this design is that the cost of production would not confiscate for the number of crops that could be produced. We then modeled a capsule that had a greater surface area.
As we began research for this portion of the project, we soon realized that for the system to become sustainable, we would need to create a special system that would deliver nutrients to the crops. The most efficient way to do this is with an aquaponics system. An Aquaponics system is an agricultural technique in which plants grow in water cultivated with fish. More information can be found at the link below.
This idea became the foundation for our project. We would develop an aquaponics system that could be used in many different areas and environments.
We later used the open-sourced platform Blender to recreate the outer layer of the device.
After approval from our instructor, Mr. Brown, we began to brainstorm presentation strategies. Our first idea consisted of a bright and attracting PowerPoint presentation that would fit the theme of the product. The theme of the presentation would include a plant background, white text, and TechnicLite font.
During the construction of the presentation, we realized that Shark Tank presentations may include a video. Because of this, we also included a video at the beginning of our presentation that states the problem with traditional farming and gives a non-descriptive summary of the solution.
Finally, we created a website for our company and product.
After several class periods, we finished our final display which included the video, website, and PowerPoint presentation.
Video
PowerPoint
Nathan and I also used the following presentation script to be sure we presented our information correctly.
Script
*Play Introduction Video
Jonathan: Good Morning Sharks! My name is Jonathan Rogers
Nathan: I am Nathan Lawton and we would like to introduce… the Biosphere Ι, a cloud-based agricultural system designed for anywhere and anyone!
Jonathan: How would you like to have a farm you could live off?
Nathan: That would be great! I would not have to by that cheap rotten stuff out of the store.
Jonathan: How would you like to maintain it?
Nathan. It wouldn’t be that hard… I think.
Jonathan: Not at all, just don’t forget to rotate the soil and change the crops. Also, make sure that the water you use has the right amount of nitrates and phosphates. Oh, and I almost forgot, make sure that you have enough money, or you will only ha-
Nathan: Stop! Never mind, that is too much work.
Jonathan: Just don’t forget all the daily work you have to do to make sure your crops our healthy.
Nathan: I can’t do that; I would never have the time but that is why, today we are introducing, the Biosphere I.
Jonathan: But how did we come up with this idea? For five years, I worked with a relatively large company with their IT department. I mainly worked with networking and software development. In my personal life, I would try to become as environmentally friendly as possible but during my efforts, I realized one problem. The process of building a sustainable and resourceful farm would take an extremely long amount of time and effort for a goal that may not succeed. I started my research on better farming techniques but only found systems that were outdated and still required a lot of time and effort. At that point, I started working on an idea for an entirely redesigned aquaponics system that is based in the cloud Sometime after, my coworker
Nathan Lawton who works in the design department of the same company joined me.
Nathan: Other aquaponics systems require you to build the system from the ground up. Make sure you have an ac-controlled room to put it in, or your entire system will fail. Also, other aquaponics systems require you to maintain it daily. For most people, this is not possible, until now with the Biosphere I.
Jonathan: Our system works by dividing the aquaponics system into two areas. One is for the fish to inhabit and the other is for the plants to grow. These two systems are connected by a water pipe that is connected to the bottom and top of the tank.
Nathan: When a fish excretes waste, the nitrates and phosphates are released into the water. A water pump will than carry the wastewater up to the plant area. Sprinklers will spay said water onto the developing plants. Over a period, the water will seep down through the rock and reach the area divider. The divider prevents larger objects like rocks from affecting the fish while water can return to the fish area starting the cycle over again. When crops are ready, top latches can be opened to retrieve your fresh food without much effort needed.
Jonathan: When we were designing this product, we had the everyday user in mind. That is why we have made the Biosphere Efficient, Easy to use and Self-Regulating. In order to do this, we have added a feature that no other product has been able to accomplish. The Biosphere I will be connected to the cloud. What does that mean? That means the official Biosphere app by Atmosphere, will connect directly to your Biosphere. This will allow unprecedented control from the palm of your hand. For example, you can control the amount of water that is being used by the sprinklers. You can also monitor water quality.
Nathan: But wait! There is one problem. This is going to use so much power! My energy bill is going to skyrocket!
Jonathan: Actually no. Included in the box is an external Solar Panel and battery pack that is capable of powering the device from the sun all day and run on battery power all night.
Jonathan: The Biosphere currently comes in three sizes; small, medium, and large. Currently, we sell the Biosphere I on our website.
Nathan: We are also partnering with many organizations around the world such as Water Boys and Zero Mass Water to provide this device in places where they need it most including areas in Africa.
Jonathan: So? Do you want to keep eating food from who knows where that has been in a storage closet for who knows how long, or do you want to eat fresh, clean food that you picked from your own backyard? Sharks! Grow the natural way!
Results
At the end of our presentation, the audience completed a vote on who would buy our product. Out of everyone in the audience, only one person said they would not purchase our product.
Conclusion
This was a great project to learn and apply the design cycle in a present-day example. In summary, we started this project by brainstorming a problem in the world that needed to be solved. We then brainstormed ideas that could solve this problem. We then selected the best option and began detailed sketches and models of the product. Using this and the information we had, we created a presentation that would identify the problem and give our solution to our original problem. Although I am satisfied with the results of our product, I would like to reflect on various aspects of our final project.
The first aspect of the project that I would like to reflect upon is the product itself. Because this is considered a major build, we were not able to build the project out of classroom materials. We were also not able to 3D print a scaled-down model of our project as no 3D printer was available for our use. Looking back, I should have at least used material such as cardboard to build a prototype of the Biosphere. If that were not an option, I could have used a publicly available 3D printer (found at Staples) to print the 3D model shown earlier on this page. This leads me to another aspect of our project, the 3D model.
The 3D model in our presentation was a quick render of the overall shape of the product. Unfortunately, this was not a good looking or detailed model. At the time of this project, I lacked the experience and processing power to build a model that was detailed and complete.
Other than the two problems explained above, I am satisfied with the results. Our presentation was considered outstanding by the audience, and our solution was effective yet practical. I look forward to similar projects in the near future.