Entry 5: Meeting with Mentor (2)

19 March 2012

Today we had a meeting with our mentor to discuss about the prototypes we have used and their effectiveness. We managed to choose the prototype ideas to work on and finalise these prototype designs with our mentor’s suggestions.

The first prototype that we chose:

Basically, the most significant design feature in the prototype would be the tray. The tray would be rectangular in shape and this allows water to flow around it equally, ensuring effective and fair plant growth. The tray is filled with leca, which are small and ball-like and unlike soil, it does not contain small harmful particles that may poison the fish tank and harm the fish. There are holes in-built into the tray which contains filter such that the filtered, clean water can re-enter the tray via gravity. The tray is supported by stilts, which are attached from the top of the fish tank to the tray and support the tray directly above the fish tank. The water is first pumped into the tray, then after flowing to the end of the tray, the water is filtered before re-entering the tank.

The second prototype that we chose:

This prototype utilizes trays placed on the exterior of the fish tank to transport water throughout the system. The trays wrap around the sides of the fish tank, which helps boost aesthetics and support. The trays are supported by hooks which cling on to the top of the fish tank, though we are still researching more efficient methods for attachment. There is also an in-built filter incorporated r to filter water before it re-enters the tank. Also, the trays, like the first prototype design, are filled with leca and in each of these trays, different types of plants/herbs can be grown. We have come up with 2 designs for the base of the tray:

First, we have the gently sloping design. This design allows water to flow down the trays quickly with the help of gravity, which saves time and energy. Furthermore, with a gentle slope, leca will not be transported with the water to one side of the tray and retain their positions.

Second, we have the “rice terrace” design.  This base design contains steps of different elevations. This allows water to flow down the trays with energy exerted from the pump as well as gravity, which also saves time. However, this type of base can retain leca more securely, with leca being retained on each step of the base due it not being directly sloped diagonally.

Water is first pumped into the tray at the highest point of the tank, in which water will flow down each of the trays and finally, upon reaching the end of the last tray, water is filtered then pumped back into the tank and as long as the pumps are switched on, the cycle is continuous.

Thus, these 2 prototype designs were our finalised prototype ideas that we would work on and modify in the future.