E-Planter: bringing nature closer to you.
We talk about nature and sustainability constantly in our daily conversations. But when we look back, do we even know much about nature?
It should not be surprising that we, as humans, are inherently attracted to greenery and nature. Just have a look at our favorite travel destinations: beaches, mountains, rain forests, caves, just to say a few. They allow us to be absorbed by the simple and refreshing terrain, as if we return to them briefly from our busy routine in the city. But what exactly makes nature so special to us?
Upon engaging in research, we realize that nature serves many function in our lives. Taking an everyday example from plants, we all know their primary functions to serve as a provider for fresh air and shade, but in reality, you will be surprised how compatible and essential plants are to us.
One of the hidden key functions that plants help us with is to reduce our stress. In the modern day world, we have many simulators that always alert us. For instance, social media messages, online news, social stress factors, examinations, and the list goes on. You might find yourself facing some of these incidences daily. And according to several articles and research works, these stimulators make our concentration lower and reduces our quality when we think. It is when we put down our things and immerse ourselves to certain activity and form positive emotional bonds with the subject that we can lift ourselves out from the chain of stress. It sounds difficult right? But we have just the right solution.
Combining our understanding of the functions of indoor plants in urban context, we came up with a design to help our friends and family. It sounds simple, but we really input much thought to the innovation. The idea is that, we will be making an E-Planter pot to make user interact more with plants and eventually bond with the plant! This not only will help user better take care of the plants, but also will increase user interaction with plants. Together, it is not a distraction, but is an intentional activity user will part take do with Nature. Therefore, we hope the E-Planter will provide support for users today and beyond, helping us heal from the Quarantined years.
Meet the Team!
Ruiqian Liu (Will): Team Leader
Will studies IEM and is now going to the fourth year of his studies. Will devotes focus in the practical implementation of the E-Planter. He devotes effort to programming the Arduino and connecting the sensors together. He also spends time and energy keeping us all on track through reminders and setting goals along the way.
Jichen Tan(Joyce): Logistics Officer
Joyce also studies IEM, year 4. She is very interested in the design of the process of the E-Planter. She kept her effort at designing the most optimal process for the user. She would ask questions such as “how can the addition of this element enhance the user experience.” Overall, we are very thankful that she can provide us with logistical and design support.
Carmen Lim: Communications Officer
Carmen studies Public Policy and Global Affairs. She joined this module as she takes a minor in Design and Systems Thinking. That was why, she never expected to be engaged in Engineering work. However, with time, she applied her knowledge in problem solving, research, and analysis in the project. She also produces 3D models for the team. Unexpectedly, in the process, she learned to love 3D designing!