ACCUA_project

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João Montenegro - Disegno Di Prodotto

ACCU

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laboratorio di sintesi finale design del prodotto per l'innovazione

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GenesisBase ideaObjectivesProject DevelopmentNameLogoWebsitePackagingBrochureBusiness Plan

index

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genesis As of the start of the project there was one main concern: to make an easy to use, economic and self managed food producing unit. Why? Demographic studies regarding populational growth and food production demand indicate one very specific consequence to the 21st century:overstressed food production. In fact it will be necessary to double current days production in order to maintain the same food distribution on the planet. In the mean time as industrialy grown food tries to acompany market needs arable soil is depleting and the quality of food droping.The veredic: a possible solution can come out of the decentralization of food industry. Just like in all other sectors of industry (specially in nowadays manufacturing, i.e. rapid prototyping) generating food at your own home can be the beggining to remove our dependance from mass produced meal. However there already exists an exploding number of solutions that participate in this so-called “urban-farming” movement. Then how to diferenciate?This is the main concern on this project and it is the source of the very concept it has created.

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To create not only a self sustained product but a whole system of relationships between companies in urban areas in order to create jobs, and use the craftmans ability to generate objects of great quality.The main aim of this project is to do all this considering all the aspects of reality that are needed to generate a functioning and valuable product and also a service system . To do so contact this project aims to enter in contact the real people from real working businesses on industrial and commercial areas that are needed to create and maintain the project.

objectives

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project development

The project was divided into 4 diferent fases: - Conceptualization;- Selection and analisis of one concept;- Refinement (mechanical and sytem requirenments);- Prototyping; As of the beggining the goal was to create a product/service that would use the benefits the a self driven company can have, where the founder is the actual designer who works out an idea and tries to find a way to make it into profit.During conceptualization it was adressed how a system could generate food automatically and with new kinds of technologies. Hydroponics and aeroponics are two long time used solutions for this kind of problems. But usually they imply using artificial aditives and complex filters

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However an alternative way to use hydroponics is to use an aquarium as an organic filter.This has also a side effect: it creates a closed ecosystem where the user can take feeding advantages on both sides (fauna and flora). Growing herbs and vegetables can this way become very fast (up to 6 times the normal rate) giving way to densly nutritional plants and vegetables as well as fish.However there is a minimum volume of water considered by most users in order to produce edible fish wich corresponds to about 60 litters.This kind of volume is to high to exist in regular households, especially inside big cities. This way the final idea was one that considers not actual edible fish but more like an aquarium that has an extra use: to create food for the user.

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concepts Inicial concepts adressed a more sculptural form of engaging the aquaponical solution. Bellow it is possible to see some primordial ideas of how this solution would in fact look like. One of the main problem was a solution that could make the hydraulica system executionable.


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conceptrefinement

A final solution started to emerge when the main idea of doing a hexagonal shape was considered. Also it is observable the original idea of using the air-pot technology as a structural member of the system. Later contact with the company showed that this kind of disposition was unefficient and filled with problems.

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ACCUA*norm manual

With the intent to create a style ambient for the product, a brand was created. ACCUA, being red the same way as acqua in italian, meaning water the source of Earths ecossystem.

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elements The brand consists of a revision to the Neutra Typeface in its Bold form. The drop feature to use the same weight and the general geometry of the character.

ACCU

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signature There are three different types of possible signature of the brand. Rectangular, square and rectangular vertical. It is an option of use of the brand, as the logos main use is the rectangular version.

ACCU

ACCU

ACCU

horizontal

square

vertical

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grid Since Neutra is based on a square geometry and the distance between letters is equal to the thickness of the bold shape. In this way, the logo simply use this square in a way to create modularity.

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The logo works well in many different sizes as it has little detail and is based on a very readable font. In smaller scale only the end “a” is signed in other to retain visual information.

ACCU

ACCU

ACCU

scale

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The brand is split into two main colors and contrasting with black. Green and orange gives dynamism and differentiates the brand from other water or aquarium related homologous.

printedC 0 M 74 Y 98 K 0screenR 242 G 103 B 36

printedC 81 M 1,5 Y 98 K 0screenR 6 G 174 B 77

printedC 0 M 0 Y 0 K 0screenR 0 G 0 B 0

color

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The main idea is for the brand to be modular. The application can vary with the intention and the signature version.

application

ACCU

ACCU

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Corporate application of the brand is simple and discrete. The identity being preserved with the last “a” of the logo.

envelope/letter

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website Starting from a simple square centered design the main goal of the project is to become user centered (instead of product centered).The use of the site is a simple scroll-down in a continuum page.

This platform allows for users to download instructions, update their plans and discuss best ways of improving their experiences and buy consumables: growing bed, fishes, components.

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With large square press areas, the website is prepared for mobile consultation reducing the need of designing a specific application.The main website architecture can be found in the appendix.

With large square press areas, the website is prepared for mobile consultation reducing the need of designing a specific application.The main website architecture can be found in the appendix.

mobile

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ACCUA 1 Transplanting aquaponics towards a versatile but stilish product the ACCUA is a brute and senuous contrast of shapes. The wooden hexagons are the modular caracterisitc of this automatic ecossistem making it possible to have a larger piece of machinery for big scale food/plant production.

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refinedbrute

An excelently well-crafted machine that truns its users atention into its practical side at the same time it shows a smooth and satin finish surface.The components are all worked by hand by craftsmen and artigians of the city of Milan.

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dimensions The ACCUA has roughly 70 cm up to the second module. In its basic configuration it weighs 5 kg only counting strucutre and 20 kg with every aditional component, growing bed of coconut coir and water.This is the first sellable planned model, future versions will be bigger and more sofisticated.

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wood source

finishing

The wooden structure, a plate of Plywood 20mm thick, is made of an Italian supply, cutted and transformed in Milan. With this purpose SILA snc, an Italian wood processing business, was contacted. Each supporting structure of the unexpanded version consumes an entire board of1120 x 320 mm with little lost material.

Since most of the form is achieved only with cutting and polishing this makes it a fast and efficient process with less man/hour expenditure.

The final look of the materials is preserved in the base edition of ACCUA. In the expansion packs there will be a large variety of textures and colors applicable. However in order to preserve identity the product will be visualized almost every time as without paint, this gives it a simple and rough look.

The outer coat of every piece is environment resistant and able to sustain permanence in outdoor spaces.This is achieved with an outdoor varnish.

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320

1120

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compacting

contractedparts

The angle of 30º that every peace of wood makes gives it compactability. Although the larger and unchangeable acrylic containers are difficult to carry they resume 50% of the whole products mass.Also with all of the other components like the pump/sensor system and the rigid fixing parts (bolts and washers)

The main structure is assembled in a standardized way.There are only two different bolts. The main connectors also only exist in one form (a plate of treated steel angulated 30º).

the disassembled ACCUA weighs about 2,25 kg.This makes the empty product with a 5 kg weight. Perfectly transportable by hand (preferably before being assembled).

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x32 x64 x6 x6

x4

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modularity The ability to expand this structure is surely its main differentiating factor with the rest of the market. Since it’s main use is exterior household places, the ACCUA can be perfectly adapted to the living room, balcony or garden. With other expansion packs the ACCUA is able to become self sufficient.

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This is possible with the integration of an arduino controller. Being powered by the same input as the water pump, the smart system can control interactively water levels, temperature and illumination within the fish tank and the growing bed.

arduino One possible improvement is the one depicted bellow, a water level controling display that warns the user via twitter when to rewater the aquarium module. This kind of application could exist in future versions of the product making it trully interactive.

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package The packaging is again economically directed, as so many other parts of the product. It is made of recicled cardboard printed on the back and with a sticker of the logo on the front. In the front area there is also a QR-code in order for the user to view the instructions online directly. This ismade to reduce costs.

It comes in a PDF formatthat he can download later.This main concern with economical questions is directed towards the benefits of sectioning the target market. It is always possible for the customer to order a premium version of the product that comes with a complete package and the arduino circuit.

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300mm

250mm

125mm

D.Y.I. kit

D.Y.I. kit

questo caso contiene

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usability By choosing their own package the user is able to do two basci diferent kinds of investments: - inicially small with the possibility of expand.- full investment to trully use the system with its full potential from the beggining.

Aquaponic solutions on the market today already have difficulty to give the same kind of experience to all the clients, ACCUA simply uses the system’s unpredictability to divide its target consumer.

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1 Alignthe mounting of the structure is progressive, with every component being intertwined.

ACCU

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usability Usually in aquaponics there are two main modules in the system, one is a so called “growing bed”, from which the plants absorve the water and nutrition and the other the aquarium, the water source and fish habitat. The ACCUA 1’s principal is simple maintaining

this coexistance in a effortless and efficient way. What the user needs to do is only a regular feeding of the fishes and rewatering of the growing bed.Information on system maintenance and aquaponics related questions is accessible online in the ACCUA website.

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ACCUA is easiely expandable. The main way of working with the system is to create a relationship of 1:1 volumes of water and growing bed. With a larger volume of water, plant growth is acelerated and nutritional values increase (wich is a great advantage for eadible vegetation).

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automatichidraulics

The management of the hidraulic system is a very simple circuit controled by a floating sensor. The main system has basically two main components:- an electric water pump.- a floating level sensor.The floating sensor works as a switch to the power supply of the pump. When the water level is high enough it keeps the pump working.

water pump

negative short

V1Power supply

positive short

During most of the time the circuit keeps working as water falls back to the lower container.But because of evaporation and plant absorvance it is recomended to insert water in the aquarium every week.The pump has a passive filter that keeps solid objects from passing to the growing bed.

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on mode

off mode

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business model

location

The main goal is to create a company able to manage itself with little resource consumption. A small business with no physical existance, thus existing only throught an online platform.This is directed towards an increasingly virtualized public target.The main drive of the system is the DYI consumer.

All of the components are fabricated on nearby locations of the city of Milan, making it possible to distribute and manage product very easily. Not having a local store makes it complicated to have visibility to the target market. The solution ACCUA provides is to have a virtual location, not a real store but a centralized area that considers cost of distribution.

On the online store it is possible to order not only extra parts and expansible modules but also consumables like growing bed material, arduino components and fish food. ACCUA is basically a service/product distribution center with good market visibility.The customer also assembles the product reducing costs.

This originally centers the business activity in the area of Milan, however with increasing expansion of the company it is also possible to create this virtual centers in other cities. Creating a physical space is not the main goal of the company, but creating sinergy between local potential supplyers wherever this virtual stores take place.

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business plansinergies

During the first year it is expeted to create and promote the website and develop the relationship between the following local producers: - Amazonas Acquari, in Viale Monte Grappa Milano. Provides material for aquarium, like the water pump, sensor.- Plasting SrL, acrylic provider in Via degli Alpini, Segrate.- SILA Snc, wood processing in v. liberazione 26 - san giuliano milanese.

Provides all the wooden pieces of the central structure.- Futurplex Di D’urso Giuseppe, in Via Petrara, Sesto San Giovani, local plexiglass processing. Provides the acrylic containers and domes and finishes the work.- J. Riva Eletricitta Idraulica Casalinghi, in Viale Monte Grappa, Milano, provides final water pump/sensor circuit.The main objective of this fase is the sinergy creation between these local business, that where before unconected.

Local factories

Local small businesses

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business planwebsite, brandand product

The greatest lone investment is the creating of the website and establishing a system for product /customer management. The website can have a maintenance cost domani price+web hosting renewal charges of €150/year.This is considerably the lowest part of the investment. However there is the need to contract human resources that maintain and reuse the forums and customer contacts. For the later ACCUA would begin operation with 3 people (including the founder).This starts the build up of the costs.

The selling price of the product is 150 € (including the autonomous hydraulic system and inicial consumables).If in the first year of activy the company would sell about 50 products per month and profit from services with 80% of the product revenue it would be possible to earn enought money to sustain an Italian medium wage for the project team as well as pay component supplyers as well as production and product transportation companies.

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other contacts Besides the final companies thta where sellected a few other contacts where established including the following: - IKEA Components, IKEA’s department of component distribution and customer service. They publicized a service of new project assistance, which doesn’t actually exist;- The Caledonian Tree Co. Ltd, Air-pot provider;

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atachments The following pages contain atachments that complete the current project report.

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technical drawings

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position of arduino

ACCUAWEIGHT:

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FINISH:UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED:DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERSSURFACE FINISH:TOLERANCES: LINEAR: ANGULAR:

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ACCUA_project

Documents

food distribution

food production demand

overstressed food production

self managed food

quality of food droping

developmentthe project

sintesi finale

alternative way