From left to right: pull-out composter (middle), water basin (bottom), and planter (top)
Building SmartSprout
Final Design
We created the SmartSprout prototype using cardboard and paper. The final design showcases three core features of our solution:
Top: smaller herbs can be grown at the top, which contains soil and features energy-efficient growth lights
Middle: A living composter with a pull-out design, enabling users to recycle waste into nutrient-rich compost
Bottom: A built-in basin at the lowest level that channels water to the plant through a small tube
Finished SmartSprout prototype made with cardboard and paper
Our Idea
Sketching
Inspired by smart planters, composters, and garden towers, we chose a solution that highlights convenience through self-composting and self-irrigating features. As a team, we sketched our ideas to determine the design for the physical prototype.
The Prompt
Background
According to Feeding America, the United States wastes 80 million tons of food each year, which accounts for 38% of all the food produced in the country. For this competition, Anji Mountain, a company dedicated to providing renewable home products, challenged our team to develop a solution that tackles food and water waste by encouraging sustainable practices in the kitchen.
Ideation
SmartSprout
Protoyping a self-watering plant composter to limit food and water waste and promote sustainable kitchen practices - 2nd place runner up in the Purdue Design & Innovation x Anji Mountain designathon.
Project Info
Duration: 6 hour designathon
My Role: Research, Sketching, Graphic Design, Wireframing, Prototyping
Team: Me, Harini Sethu, George Lysy