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​Can one device, incorporating AI, create a sustainable living for local communities?

Main Goals

  • To create a visualisation for a device that can generate renewable energy and food

  • Incorporate AI into the device to benefit the growth of the food, how the food affects the environment and measure how successful the food is growing.

  • Create a brand design for the device

Side Goals

  • Link the project to the SDG goals.

  • Find specific areas that my device can be used and sold to.

PROJECT AIMS

My research will be mostly qualitative as my primary data will come from a questionnaire given to those interested in similar topics. It will be mostly subjective as the questions will include opinions on how we can redesign our future in renewable energy and give feedback on current ideas and designs such as how the food should be farmed and how the energy should be generated.

sketching Process

How will I Incorporate AI?

A group of Engineers from Taiwan (at the National Taiwan Ocean University) have created a small low cost buoy that can monitor water quality using AI. They use flow sensors to measure the temperature and velocity of the water, while my project will include a similair way of monitoring the water, I will also use PH sensors in order to understand if the water could be fit for human consumption. The data from the sensors will evidently be used to determine whether oysters could be used to filter water from the ocean to be used for drinking water in local off the grid communities. The sensors can also detect whether the oyster device should be moved if they're in dangerous waters based off the results from the sensors.

To the left is a picture of a PH sensor for a visualisation as to what the sensor would look like.

The image above is a diagram of the inside control box used on a report by the engineers that can be accessed by clicking on the photo.

*not own image

*not own image

Designing Process

For the design process I used a software called Shapr3D which I learnt during the project with the help of tutorials on the site and tips from 3D students and lecturers

This is the final product of the main device. The wheel will be approximately 8ft in diameter and have a 25.12ft circumference. The whole device being 14ft in length, 12ft in width and just over 12ft in height excluding the chains and anchor.
The chains used in my design are a mix of light and heavy galvanised chains as they're durable, strong and the layer of zinc helps resist against corrosion. The light chains attach the heavy chains and anchor to the device to ensure that it stays afloat while keeping it in place. The galvanised metal could also be switched with stainless steel as both have similiar properties and strengths. At the top of the light chains, I have included an opaque protector to ensure the chains do not get wrapped up in the wheel and to make sure they remain still and protected.
The anchor used is a mushroom anchor as it is the best type of anchor to be used for permanent moorings. Seeing as oysters take several years to grow to their prime size and taste a stronger and more secure anchor is imperative to ensure that the device stays still and doesn't float away. I decided to include 2 hooks as well on each side so that both sides are symmetrical to distribute the weight
The wheel uses the curved blades mentioned in sketch "Wheel 2" in order to
create a more effecient water wheel due to the water being able to remain on the blade for longer it causes more speed to be generated. There are 10 blades in total with each blade being approximately 2 ft in length and 8ft in length. The wheel will be made of HDPE similiar to the buoys however a wooden prototype would also be made to see if there is a difference in how well they work.
At the front of the device a curved scoop is used to push the water into the device further in order to ensure that all the water travels up and over the wheel.
Towards the back of the buoys 2 stainless steel hooks are attached (1 on each side) for the weighted oyster bags to connect to. The bags can then flow behind the device as the waves from the wheel can soak through the oysters. The bags will have an attachable clip that can be connected to the 2 hooks so that the bags are seperate from the wheel to ensure quick and easy farming without disrupting the wheel.
On the side of the buoy a box has been attached to protect the dynamo motor and generator to the wheel as a seperate buoy would not have been possible as it must connect to the rod inside of the wheel in order for it to spin and transfer the kinetic energy of the wheel into electrical energy to be stored and used as a power bank.

Brand Design

These are my planning sketches for the logo and
name of the company, I wanted to show direct incorporation between the two main aspects of my device, the oysters and the turbine. I decided to go
with the name Oysturbine as it is a literal
combination of both words in one. To carry on with
this theme, the logo also is a mix of the top of a
water wheel and the bottom of an oyster. When I
was deciding the font I went with Colonna MT as my primary font as it's a wavy serif font similair to
the ocean. My secondary font being Imprint MT
Shadow as it is very similair to Colonna MT however
it is slightly more legible so can be used for more detailed, smaller text.
These are 4 versions of the final logo. The first one is the main logo with a coloured text and black title, the logo should stand out on most surfaces and colours, it would be used on media posts, advertising and as the brand image. The next logo is just a coloured version of the logo without the name, this can be used for smaller uses on objects as stickers or at the bottom of any pages ext. It should be the distinctive feature of the brand, that strikes the eye first and leave a memorable image. The third image being a black and white version with the name underneath, this would be used on official documents as well as giving more options depending on what colour and surface the logo is on. The last one is a full coloured version that I was not happy with, however it was included to show the development towards a more minimalised logo for the final result
This is an A4 brand guidline sheet. It goes over the brand name, font and colours, going into detail as to what the font looks like and the colours used for printing (CMYK) as well as the hex code for designs and the rgb as an alternate use. A quick summary also states which font and colour is for the main majority of work and which is for secondary use.
Underneath is the final infographic poster I created to show off the device with the final oyster bags on the back. It shows off the brand and what the device does as well as showing what every componant does.

SIDE GOALS

The off the grid communities this will mainly be used for is African countries as only 10% of all individuals in the continent have access to the electrical grid. Likewise at least one in five Africans go to bed hungry every night. Due to this my device would be most effecient to be used in African nations along the coastline.
Another goal for my project was to relate my project to the SDG Goal 3 to promote good health and well-being. Conclusively I hit 11 SDG goals with my final product. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 14 and 17 are hit as the device is targeted towards providing food and work for off the grid communities that can be sustainable for the environment and help decrease poverty. The wheel also hits 7, 12 and 13 as it produces renewable energy that combats climate change. In the future the device could also hit 14 more effeciently as well as including 6 as it could be used to question whether oysters could be used to filter water for human consumption and how it affects local sealife.

Conclusion

This project was a very tricky one for me as I had originally had a different plan and research at the start before changing it mid way as I found on my research my inital idea was not possible due to it being expensive, unrealistic and the problem had already been solved more effeciently. In my next project I will make sure I take a step back and focus on more ideas and choices that I could do before settling on an idea. I will also make sure I choose a brief that works better with my skills as I made this project too mechanical and to be more efficient I would need to understand and enjoy programming to make my own AI. While I really enjoyed making the brand I would have liked to have done more with it, possibly making a short infographic animation or simply done more than just a final poster. I used a new software in this project that I had never used before called Shapr3D which I really enjoyed learning, however I discovered that I am better when it comes to 2D design rather than 3D. Overall I am pleased with the outcome I managed to get but it was better as a lesson for future projects as to how to organise and arrange myself to create the best outcome.
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