*ponics (Why Google is suspects that my kids are drug dealers and why we’re looking for a food-safe fencepost) Roger Meike (pronounced “Mike,” FYI) PARC - but not what this project is about Saturday, July 20, 13 Roger Meike • Currently working at PARC • Technologist/Maker/Entrepreneur... Dork! • ..and I have the ham radio license to prove it! Saturday, July 20, 13 keyword: spaughts Saturday, July 20, 13 The challenge • Advice from Mike: Pick a topic that interests you • I now work on a software project at PARC, so I don’t have HW to talk about • I’m busy so I don’t do as much fun stuff at home as I would like • Everything I do in hardware these days is more sketchy than a sketch Saturday, July 20, 13 Slow Jam Sketch • If you use really slow material, is it still sketching? • i.e. working with biological and chemical constraints • The story: Why Google is pretty sure my kids are drug dealers and why I’m looking for a food-safe fencepost • Let the children lead the way • And so the story begins... Saturday, July 20, 13 Items of Interest KE6HFO KE6HFP Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Items of Interest KJ6KEB KI6TGN KE6HFO KE6HFP Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Hydroponics System Reservoir with pump and float switch Saturday, July 20, 13 Types of Hydroponic Systems • Ebb and flow system o Water level is fluctuated • Wick System o Simplest System • Drip system or Dutch Bucket o Bucket with a drip system type water supply • Deep water culture (DWC) o Roots hang in root chamber full of water/nutrients • Nutrient film technique (NFT) o Thin film of nutrients NFT • Bubbleponics o Deep water culture system with water pumped to the top Saturday, July 20, 13 Aquaponics • Aquaponics is the cultivation of plants and fish in a recirculating environment • The waste materials of the plants are being fed to the fish while at the same time the waste of the fish is used in fertilizing the plants and vegetables Nutrient rich water Plants clean and filter water Fish muck up water Clean water Saturday, July 20, 13 Aeroponics • Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil. • A nutrient solution is used to provide food for the plants • A fogger or mister is used to aerosolize nutrients and water in the root chamber Types of Aeroponic Systems • High pressure aeroponics • Fogponics Saturday, July 20, 13 Tribe Awesome Aeroponic Garden It is a combination fogponics and deep water culture system. If you trim the roots, you can make it a strictly fogponic/aeroponic system Foam Plant Holders Root Chamber & Fogger Produces awesome plants Saturday, July 20, 13 Fogger Technology • Piezoelectric disk vibrates water at 4 megahertz • Fogger fills air with microscopic drops (5-10 microns) • Plant pores absorb the nutrients and water from the droplets • Allows for very controlled amounts of nutrients to be dispensed to plants Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Requires less water, nutrients, and pesticides... • Reduces water usage by 98% (uses up to 65% less water than hydroponics according to NASA) • Fertilizer usage is also reduced by 60% • No pesticide is typically needed ...all the while maximizing crop yields! (http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/aeroponic_plants.html) Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Fast Plant Growth • 13 crop turns in aeroponics vs 5 crop turns in soil per year (http:// www.foodrepublic.com/2011/08/18/5-things-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about-hydroponics) • Grows twice as fast a hydroponic systems (http://how-to-x.info/2038335-aeroponics- vs-hydroponics.htm) In only 12 days! Before Soil Hydroponic After Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: No Weeds • You grow only the plants you want, not 'weeds' • No herbicides required Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Control • Precise control over o nutrient concentration and composition o moisture o diseases that can kill or harm the plant Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Little space required Little space required • Aeroponics gives you the ability to grow plants in places that you would not otherwise be able to with regular gardening and agriculture • Aeroponics does not use soil which saves space-and a mess • Because aeroponics does not use a lot of space plants can grow inside • This is helpful in places where weather is unpredictable or unfavorable for a garden. Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Mobility/Portability... • Aeroponics systems require little space • Systems are self contained • Entire system can be moved Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Educational Value • Great way to learn the biology of a plant • The roots of the plant are visible o make more acute observations of roots Saturday, July 20, 13 Benefits: Easy System Maintenance • Systems can be highly automated • Your system will require only occasional maintenance o Change water every few weeks o Replace nutrients o Clean the fogger Saturday, July 20, 13 Workshop Weekend Oakland Saturday, July 20, 13 Live Data Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Rebranded http://www.tribeawesome.com Saturday, July 20, 13 Raul from Valley Verde http://valleyverde.org/ Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Saturday, July 20, 13 Where are they headed from here? • Build a system for Raul • New form factors - Go vertical • Solar Power • More sensors - Monitor pH, Salinity etc • Dispense nutrients and water autonomously • Sense gases • Use cameras to sense growth phase • Aquaponics • What does it mean to give plants a virtual life Saturday, July 20, 13 Projections - looking forward • All the systems, tools, sharing, business models that we are working on is stuff the next generation takes for granted (so we better make it work!) • They assume that they are inheriting a “used” planet and it’s gonna need some work • Don’t be distracted by the CPU - You can sketch in hardware that has no software • Growing plants without soil is kind of like teaching kids without school - Homeschooling is verrrry interesting Saturday, July 20, 13 • http://www.tribeawesome.com • http://digitaldiner.blogspot.com Saturday, July 20, 13 Thanks! 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