Design requirements

The design of the Microwth has to meet a couple of design requirements:

• The whole system has to be easy to manufacture
• The design has to be good looking
• The device has to be easy to use
• The devices should be stackable to create bigger farms

With these thing in mind I designed and manufactured the first version, that will be used to test different electronic configurations.

Design version 1

The first design on the right allowed for stacking, but after manufacturing and testing proved to have some design flaws.

• The growing trays in this design are hard to remove because there's no easy way to lift the trays up.
• The current lights gave a comparable result to the natural lights but the height could be reduced to increase the light intensity for better grow results or reduce power
• The closed side panels create a closed look and illusion that it takes in a lot of room, it might also look better if the plants are more visible.

Improvements in the next iteration

In the next version, I will include cut-outs to easily remove the grow trays, the height will also be reduced to lower the lights, and there will be an extra cutout in the wooden side panels to create a more open design. This version will also include a pump to automate watering for this the bottom height had to be increased to fit the pump.