PROJECT CONTEXT
Bachelor thesis (independent project, after internship at Agrilution Systems GmbH)
TIME PERIOD
10/2018 - 02/2019
DISCIPLINES
User-centred design
Product development & prototyping
Product visualization
IDEA AND PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
This bachelor's thesis was written independently with the support of Agrilution Systems GmbH following an industrial design internship. The aim was to develop ovo - a compact, low-cost indoor grow box as a reduced alternative to the Plantcube, a fully automated high-end indoor farming system (RRP ~€3,000). Without sensors or app automation, ovo still offers an effortless grow-it-yourself experience for a broader target group.
Special attention was paid to the modular expandability and the free choice of seeds, without being restricted to the manufacturer's special NFC-based seed mats. The result is a user-friendly, flexible system that makes it easy to get started with indoor farming and ideally makes you want to upgrade at a later date.
LOGO AND NAMING CONCEPT
The word mark ovo is short, memorable and symbolic. The name stands for a protective growing environment - similar to an incubator, but for microgreens, lettuces and herbs.
The three letters reflect the growth cycle:
‘o’ as a seed → ‘v’ as a seedling → ‘o’ slightly thicker than the mature plant or leaf.
APPROACH AND CHALLENGES
How can lighting and irrigation be integrated into a compact, intuitively usable design that retains the high-quality character of the Plantcube despite its reduced technology?
ovo was developed as a cost-effective alternative to the Plantcube - focussing on four core aspects:
Cost reduction:
No app automation and sensor technology
Minimum energy consumption: 15 W (approx. 0.177 kWh/day → €0.05 at 30 cents/kWh)
Harvesting costs per cycle:
Microgreens (2 weeks): 50-60g for approx. 0.74€
Lettuce (3-4 weeks): 70-90g for approx. 1.49€
Herbs (4-5 weeks): 60-70g for approx. 1,86€
This makes ovo price-competitive with supermarket products - purchasing larger quantities of seeds further reduces costs.Functional scaling:
Easy to use with a seed mat and seed grid, as used in the Plantcube V1.
Material choice & durability:
Interior made of white ABS, easy to clean, moisture resistant
Outer frame made of aluminium, impact and scratch-resistant, more stable and durable
The combination of materials emphasises the high-quality character of ovo
Modularity:
System can be extended in height for larger harvesting capacities - with the same footprint, similar to vertical farming.
KEY FEATURES
Operation is simple:
Right button: Switching ovo on and off
Left button: Switch between the three growth cycles
Upper light → Herbs (4-5 weeks): Longest cycle, larger plants
Middle light → Lettuce (3-4 weeks): Medium size, longer growing time
Lower light → Microgreens (2 weeks): Fast growth, small plants
Automatic self-watering & flexible seed mats:
The system uses capillary self-watering, where water is channelled from the tank to the seed mat via wicks. This remains constantly moist in the removable seed grid and ensures optimum germination and growth conditions.
Compostable coconut fibre mats can be filled with your own seed, bought in or cut to size yourself - for greater customer flexibility and cost efficiency.
The water tank of the hydroponic system must be refilled approximately every fortnight. A water level indicator shows when it is time.
Engraved harvest guide lines on the Plexiglas mark the recommended maximum growth height. The harvest time remains flexible and can be chosen individually - depending on your personal preference for more tender or fully mature greens.
Up to three boxes can be stacked to form a space-saving vertical-farming-unit. The power is passed between the boxes via magnetic pin contacts – only the bottom box requires a mains connection.
This eliminates cable clutter and the need for additional sockets.
Thanks to the modular stackability, different plant species with different growth cycles can be grown at the same time, while the ventilation of each box is maintained.
Air circulation in ovo is provided by an integrated fan in the lid, which extracts warm air from the grow area and blows it upwards. At the same time, fresh air flows in through ventilation slits in the plexiglass pane. This continuous airflow principle ensures optimum ventilation and a stable microclimate for healthy plant growth.
The lighting consists of 2 × 15 rows of Samsung LM301H Full-Spectrum-LEDs, which are designed to optimise plant growth. The alternating arrangement of 3500K and 6500K LEDs ensures even light distribution. The LEDs run dimmed to reduce energy consumption while ensuring ideal lighting conditions for each growth phase.
PROTOTYPING & EXPERIMENTS
As part of the product design process, substrate and cultivation tests were carried out to optimise lighting and irrigation for the growth of microgreens, herbs and salads within the compact format.
In addition, a simple functional prototype was produced to evaluate ergonomics, handling, haptics and the arrangement of the operating elements and interfaces in a practical manner.
