Challenge and Objectives

Freshwater usage in traditional agriculture is high, causing resource depletion. This project innovates with fog-based agriculture, utilizing only 3% of typical water needs.

The goal was to demonstrate this concept while creating an aesthetically pleasing and automated indoor gardening solution, addressing both sustainability and functional home decor.

My Role

I led the design and development of these smart planting systems, initially handling multiple roles and later directing new team members.

This work was part of Green Global Aggrovation, a Gujarat-based startup, where I contributed from September 2021 to January 2023.

Solution Flow

💡 Botany for Beginners

A guide to keeping ‘em alive

• Water: Too much or too little, and plants suffer.

• Light: Without it, plants stunt.

• Nutrients: Missing these, plants turn weak.

• Temperature: Extreme temps? They stress out.

• Humidity: Low humidity dries leaves; too much invites mold.

• Geotropism: Roots need to go down, shoots go up—mess this up, and they get confused!

Time to meet those challenges with creativity and innovation!

⚠️ A key distinction and challenge of this planter, unlike typical hydroponic systems, was delivering water and nutrients through fog instead of liquid.

Grow Space Design

The vertical trunk design featured drill-bit-like twists that created a visually appealing effect as it rotated, powered by a planetary gear mechanism.`

Grow Space was Engineered to allow:

• Airflow & Humidity Balance: An air inlet at the top and an exhaust fan at the bottom regulate humidity via air circulation, driven by a control board and humidity sensor.

• Fog Delivery: The trunk is in direct contact with the fog system, distributing water and nutrients evenly through the net cups.

• Light: Grow lights are placed on three sides of the hexagonal acrylic cage, ensuring adequate light distribution for photosynthesis.

3D Printing: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

3D printing allowed for rapid prototyping, quickly transforming ideas into physical parts. However, it’s a sensitive process prone to errors.

The best outcome is a perfect print; the bad is a failure on a small part or early-detected error. The ugly is when a large print is nearly complete and fails near the end.

Eco-Friendly Version 🌱

An eco-friendly variant was developed using bamboo, featuring a horizontal array of net cups. This design maintained compatibility with the fog delivery system.

Fog Generation & Delivery

The goal was to create a versatile and portable fog delivery system for both vertical and horizontal indoor planter systems. Two design variants were developed:

• Passive System: Utilized a floater-based auto-leveler to generate fog without a pump, making it more energy efficient.

• Active System: Incorporated a pump for complete fog conversion, ensuring maximum utilization of water and nutrients from the reservoir.

Both variants used Bernoulli's Principle to push the fog through the planter array ducts with an external fan, ensuring even distribution. The final system was designed in SolidWorks and 3D printed using PETG material, allowing for easy installation across different planter configurations.

CFD Analysis & Iterations

CFD analysis involved using the initially proven design to create a CFD case in SolidWorks. Both passive and active designs were utilized in this study.

The design underwent several iterations of CFD analysis, design modifications, and 3D printing until we arrived at the final draft. This process aimed to improve efficiency and enhance fog delivery to the planter ducts.

*Details of this study are kept confidential, as the project is not open-source.

Putting Things Together

A modular design 🧩 was prioritized to simplify maintenance while ensuring the structural integrity needed for stable, long-term use.

Base

• Contains the water reservoir and fog delivery system.

• Water drainage provision for easy maintenance.

Control System

• Includes the control board, sensors, and planetary gear mechanism.

• Equipped with intake and exhaust fans for ventilation.

Grow Space

• Made of an acrylic frame with a top ventilation cover.

• Houses the vertical trunk holding the net cups for the plants.

• Features a door for easy access to the yield.

The entire assembly was designed to be screw-free.

In Action

Vertical System

Stackable sections in the vertical configuration allowed for capacity expansion and ease of assembly. The design also facilitated convenient packaging and shipping.

Horizontal System

Bamboo-based horizontal and vertical systems were extensively installed in a Government-allotted greenhouse for R&D purposes 🔬. Everything was built from the ground up, including a single-phase electrical line, and essential structural arrangements.

Reflection

This project offered invaluable insights into plant biology and the intricacies of creating optimal growth environments. An automated nutrient dispenser, purification, and climate control system were also developed, although they weren't integrated into the tabletop version since they were designed for larger systems.

The system was automated and controllable via a mobile application. To learn more about the control system, visit this project. Presenting the product at startup events & exhibitions was rewarding .

Behind the Scenes

Some Electrical Work

There was no power supply in the greenhouse assigned to us by the government. Fortunately, a lamp post just outside the greenhouse had a power outlet box.

Figuring out the electrical setup—distributing a single-phase connection into the greenhouse—was straightforward, though a bit nerve-wracking. In the end, it was executed peacefully.

Working desks at the time

Initially there was no table so I had to use the kitchen platform as one, odd but it did the job - kitchen-cum-workstation arrangement.

Then we sourced an actual desk from a contact in the aluminium and furniture industry, allowing us to move the workspace from the kitchen into the hall.

A Note on the Back of the Door

This note was an excerpt from The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, a book recommended to Shubham (GGA Founder & Director) by his teacher, which he later passed on to me. I found this note on the back of his bedroom door, where I was staying at the time. Among all the notes there, this one resonated with me deeply—it sparked something within me.

Two years later, I found a similar message in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita. In this chapter, Dhritarashtra, driven by fear, asks questions that reveal his reluctance to face reality. He is afraid to admit his sons could lose the battle of Kurukshetra. This fear shapes his words and becomes the source of his impotency.