LED PLANTER
LIYEMA NTSEBEZA - 223059306
RESEARCH
IDEATION
With this project, I tried to think of the planter more as a product than a prototype. I considered its functions as well as its ergonomics and how it would fit into the home. As a result, I created a sub-brand for the planter to exist under. Biologic. The planter is called Biologic Botanica.
I researched modern home design trends as well as design trends for common household objects. A few things became obvious, soft, rounded forms and muted colours as well as a greater focus on making products compact. Sans the colour, I designed the planter to be as soft and unobtrusive as possible to integrate into the home, using common shapes that were easy to manufacture.
DEVELOPMENT
I started by attempting to perfect the proportions of the planter through making cardboard mock-ups. This part was important as ensuring the planter was correctly proportioned means the end product won't appear stretched.
MANUFACTURING
The planter was designed to be constructed as easily as possible with the least amount of parts, panels and materials, saving time and money. The corners and contact points were designed to be thin and unnoticeable, making the planter look seamless and effortless. Unfortunately, thin contact points makes it incredibly diffcult to assemble without parts springing off.
It features blue LED lights arching over the main plants. The planter consists of three parts. The Light Module, The Grow Module and the Base Station. The Base Station acts as a hub for the planter as well as a future hub for interconnected devices in the home, making the planter the center of the digital home (Internet of Things).
The Grow Module hosts the actual plant itself and The Light Module contains the blue LED light array which provides light to the plants themselves.
OUTCOME
The final model does away with the additional LED light in the development models and concept sketches. The planter is simple and unoffensive, to fit into every home. It is symmetrical and contains curves and smooth edges.
