SproutsIO Urban Microfarm Interactive Indoor Farming System for Urban Use

116 Pages·2013·24.75 MB·English

by  Jennifer Broutin

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm

Interactive
 Indoor
 Farming
 System
 for
 Urban
 Use

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

B.Arch.

University
 of
 Miami,
 School
 of
 Architecture

May
 2005

M.S.
 Advanced
 Architectural
 Design

Columbia
 University,
 Graduate
 School
 of
 Architecture,
 Planning
 and
 Preservation

May
 2006

Submitted
 to
 the

Program
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences,

School
 of
 Architecture
 and
 Planning,

in
 partial
 fulfillment
 of
 the
 requirements
 for
 the
 degree
 of

Master
 of
 Science
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences
 at
 the

Massachusetts
 Institute
 of
 Technology

September
 2013

©
 2013
 Massachusetts
 Institute
 of
 Technology.
 All
 rights
 reserved.

Author

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

Program
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences

August
 9,
 2013

Certified
 by

Kent
 Larson

Director,
 Changing
 Places

Principal
 Research
 Scientist

Accepted
 by

Professor
 Patricia
 Maes

Associate
 Academic
 Head

Program
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences

  1

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm

Interactive
 Indoor
 Farming
 System
 for
 Urban
 Use

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

Submitted
 to
 the

Program
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences,

School
 of
 Architecture
 and
 Planning,
 on
 August
 9,
 2013

in
 partial
 fulfillment
 of
 the
 requirements
 for
 the
 degree
 of

Master
 of
 Science
 in
 Media
 Arts
 and
 Sciences
 at
 the

Massachusetts
 Institute
 of
 Technology

Abstract

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm
 is
 an
 interactive
 farming
 system
 that
 enables
 people
 to
 reliably

grow
 and
 access
 healthy
 produce
 in
 urban
 areas.

 The
 introduction
 of
 a
 localized
 system
 with

the
 capacity
 to
 induce
 scalar
 impact
 through
 citywide
 collective
 participation
 has
 the
 potential

to
 redefine
 our
 current
 opaque
 food
 system.

SproutsIO
 incorporates
 modular
 components
 augmented
 by
 technology
 such
 as
 monitoring

sensors,
 automated
 systems,
 and
 smart
 mobile
 applications
 with
 the
 goal
 to
 facilitate

aeroponic
 growing
 of
 organic
 produce
 in
 cities.

 A
 database
 and
 monitoring
 network
 has
 been

established
 to
 assist
 users
 in
 determining
 the
 growing
 needs
 and
 profiles
 of
 plant
 species
 in

order
 to
 provide
 real-­‐time
 feedback
 in
 assisting
 with
 plant
 care.

 This
 is
 the
 first
 system
 to

incorporate
 aeroponic
 growing
 technology
 with
 sensors,
 automation,
 and
 mobile
 applications

into
 a
 fully
 integrated,
 networked,
 and
 responsive
 system
 for
 ease
 of
 use
 in
 an
 indoor
 urban

context.

User
 studies
 were
 conducted
 to
 test
 primary
 aspects
 of
 the
 system:
 user
 interaction
 with
 the

mobile
 application,
 ease
 of
 assembly
 and
 initial
 planting
 of
 the
 system,
 and
 user
 experience

growing
 in
 the
 system
 over
 a
 weeklong
 period.

 The
 analysis
 of
 this
 testing
 provides
 valuable

information
 toward
 future
 optimization
 of
 the
 SproutsIO
 system.

Thesis
 supervisor:
 Kent
 Larson

Title:
 Principal
 Research
 Scientist

Director,
 Changing
 Places

  3

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm

Interactive
 Indoor
 Farming
 System
 for
 Urban
 Use

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

Advisor

Kent
 Larson

Director,
 Changing
 Places

Principal
 Research
 Scientist

  5

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm

Interactive
 Indoor
 Farming
 System
 for
 Urban
 Use

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

Reader

Ethan
 Zuckerman

Principal
 Research
 Scientist,
 MIT
 Media
 Lab

Director,
 Center
 for
 Civic
 Media

  7

SproutsIO
 Urban
 Microfarm

Interactive
 Indoor
 Farming
 System
 for
 Urban
 Use

Jennifer
 Broutin
 Farah

Reader

Dr.
 Richard
 Fletcher

Research
 Scientist,
 MIT
 Media
 Lab

Assistant
 Professor,
 UMass
 Medical
 School,
 Department
 of
 Psychiatry

Research
 Scientist,
 Massachusetts
 General
 Hospital,
 Center
 for
 Global
 Health

Research
 Scientist,
 VA
 Hospital,
 Bedford,
 MA

  9