In India, the cost addition of getting agricultural products from farm to fork is estimated to be around 65% of the entire cost of production making it an incredibly expensive affair. Almost half of the total cost arising in the agricultural sector is a result of the long post production process and the logistics of packaging, cooling, transportation and storing agricultural produce.
Often this means that agricultural produce is nowhere near an ideal quality of freshness by the time it reaches the consumer's plates.Compounded by the increased use of pesticides to grow crops, a report indicating even that almost 47% of all farmers in India had the direct involvement of pesticide producers and sellers, arguable tainting the quality of a large majority of consumable agricultural produce in the country.
A soft palette was intended for the product, this consideration was made so that an approachable, gentle form would develop. Smooth surfaces, with a notable flow and lack of raggad edges on the device. Likewise there was to be little to no surface deviation that could cause a visual and textural break so all components, parts and control aspects of the product had to be designed to be entirely internal.
A soft palette was intended for the product, this consideration was made so that an approachable, gentle form would develop. Smooth surfaces, with a notable flow and lack of raggad edges on the device. Likewise there was to be little to no surface deviation that could cause a visual and textural break so all components, parts and control aspects of the product had to be designed to be entirely internal.
The new family of Herb.it 2.0 designs focused more on simplifying the physical interactions with the device while shelving several features that were found to be largely gimicky in testing, adding little to the experience of the device.
This new version was 20% larger than the previous one. Major reworks revolved around making it more production friendly, reducing mould costs, and essentially finetuning the system's backend, maintainance and repairability.
This second stage also looked to address the visual language of the design, with the CMF being formally addressed at this stage of the project.
The new family of Herb.it 2.0 designs focused more on simplifying the physical interactions with the device while shelving several features that were found to be largely gimicky in testing, adding little to the experience of the device.
This new version was 20% larger than the previous one. Major reworks revolved around making it more production friendly, reducing mould costs, and essentially finetuning the system's backend, maintainance and repairability.
This second stage also looked to address the visual language of the design, with the CMF being formally addressed at this stage of the project.
Taking inspiration from fruit & vegetable baskets, Herb.it is designed to be smart and responsive to its environment, with a healthy array of data sensors and inbuilt control units that allow it run almost independantly of human input. This same component suite also allows it to be selectively finetuned to specific plants and environments by the user through the associated application.
Taking inspiration from fruit & vegetable baskets, Herb.it is designed to be smart and responsive to its environment, with a healthy array of data sensors and inbuilt control units that allow it run almost independantly of human input. This same component suite also allows it to be selectively finetuned to specific plants and environments by the user through the associated application.
Role
Client
Year
Role
Client
Year
Industrial Designer
Contra Farms
2022 - 2023
Industrial Designer
Contra Farms
2022 - 2023
Herb.It
Herb.It
Herb.it is a countertop hydroponic device designed for Contra Farms, offering users the freedom to grow a range of consumable and non-consumable plants at home. This consumer-grade device supports the growth of herbs, microgreens, and select fruiting and flowering plants, delivering high-quality, high-yield organic produce for culinary use.
Herb.it is a countertop hydroponic device designed for Contra Farms, offering users the freedom to grow a range of consumable and non-consumable plants at home. This consumer-grade device supports the growth of herbs, microgreens, and select fruiting and flowering plants, delivering high-quality, high-yield organic produce for culinary use.
Moodboard
The sensor suite covers the following informational requirements:
Humidity
Temperature
Ambient light
Pressure
Proximity
Sound
Air Quality
The most critical yet unseen aspect of this project is its databases, which underpin all device actions. These include botanical data essential for automation and an information model central to the device's electronic and mechanical operations.
To run all this a companion app was envisioned that would store and handle all relevant information in house.
The integrated systems in the device would work alongside a detailed algorithm to guide users through an ideal harvest cycle.
An idea was proposed to use LEDs on the device to provide basic information, enabling users to access key details without relying on the accompanying app.
Feature setting
The features wanted can be summed in five points:
A sensor suite
A thorough database
A capable alogrithm
A concise information communication method
A companion app
1
3
2
5
4
6
Directions
7
With the bones of the project ready the first prototyping stage could begin. Consisting of 4 units in all. The first to identify scale and ergonomic considerations. The second; a model to understand how it would look once CMF was applied. The third and fourth were 3D prints with electronics embeded into them to test the various technical aspects of the design and work out the kinks in the electronic system and finetune the sensor suite that was baked into the device.
Prototype 1
The extensive testing that followed the prototyping stage around us to work out the kinks in the design and redesign several aspects of the device, some right from scratch. This second stage cannot be showcased in detail so instead from here on out you'll be seeing some of it's siblings that did not make it to the second stage of prototyping.
1
5
4
7
6
8
2
3
9
10
Version 2
In India, the cost addition of getting agricultural products from farm to fork is estimated to be around 65% of the entire cost of production making it an incredibly expensive affair. Almost half of the total cost arising in the agricultural sector is a result of the long post production process and the logistics of packaging, cooling, transportation and storing agricultural produce.
Often this means that agricultural produce is nowhere near an ideal quality of freshness by the time it reaches the consumer's plates.Compounded by the increased use of pesticides to grow crops, a report indicating even that almost 47% of all farmers in India had the direct involvement of pesticide producers and sellers, arguable tainting the quality of a large majority of consumable agricultural produce in the country.
Moodboard
The sensor suite covers the following informational requirements:
Humidity
Temperature
Ambient light
Pressure
Proximity
Sound
Air Quality
The most critical yet unseen aspect of this project is its databases, which underpin all device actions. These include botanical data essential for automation and an information model central to the device's electronic and mechanical operations.
To run all this a companion app was envisioned that would store and handle all relevant information in house.
The integrated systems in the device would work alongside a detailed algorithm to guide users through an ideal harvest cycle.
An idea was proposed to use LEDs on the device to provide basic information, enabling users to access key details without relying on the accompanying app.
Feature setting
The features wanted can be summed in five points:
A sensor suite
A thorough database
A capable alogrithm
A concise information communication method
A companion app
1
1
3
3
2
2
5
5
4
4
6
6
7
7
Directions
With the bones of the project ready the first prototyping stage could begin. Consisting of 4 units in all. The first to identify scale and ergonomic considerations. The second; a model to understand how it would look once CMF was applied. The third and fourth were 3D prints with electronics embeded into them to test the various technical aspects of the design and work out the kinks in the electronic system and finetune the sensor suite that was baked into the device.
Prototype 1
1
1
5
5
4
4
7
7
6
6
2
2
3
3
9
9
10
10
8
8
Version 2
The extensive testing that followed the prototyping stage around us to work out the kinks in the design and redesign several aspects of the device, some right from scratch. This second stage cannot be showcased in detail so instead from here on out you'll be seeing some of it's siblings that did not make it to the second stage of prototyping.
This website is protected by the power of voodoo and sheer willpower
Herb.it is a countertop hydroponic device designed for Contra Farms, offering users the freedom to grow a range of consumable and non-consumable plants at home. This consumer-grade device supports the growth of herbs, microgreens, and select fruiting and flowering plants, delivering high-quality, high-yield organic produce for culinary use.
Role
Client
Year
Industrial Designer
Contra Farms
2022 - 2023
Herb.It
Taking inspiration from fruit & vegetable baskets, Herb.it is designed to be smart and responsive to its environment, with a healthy array of data sensors and inbuilt control units that allow it run almost independantly of human input. This same component suite also allows it to be selectively finetuned to specific plants and environments by the user through the associated application.
Moodboard
A soft palette was intended for the product, this consideration was made so that an approachable, gentle form would develop. Smooth surfaces, with a notable flow and lack of raggad edges on the device. Likewise there was to be little to no surface deviation that could cause a visual and textural break so all components, parts and control aspects of the product had to be designed to be entirely internal.
Directions
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
7
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