adelesmith341-blog

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Learning microphone data collection. Grasshopper experiment

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Sounds

http://nebomusic.net/arduinolessons/Encoding_Sound_Data_Arduino.pdf

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Syringe Pump

https://hackthenorth.devpost.com/submissions/27245-25-arduino-syringe-pump http://hackaday.com/2015/05/29/pump-up-the-volume-with-the-3d-printed-syringe-pump-rack/ https://hackaday.io/project/1838-open-syringe-pump

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Temporary

Whatever produced will have a temporary lifespan. While the materials are basic, what they could say with the addition of technology is an interesting thing to ponder. Thinking to something I saw, 3d printed death mask. Is this a logical way to grieve? A reminder of who a person was in death rather than who they were as they lived. I think in a way this concept is transferable, acknowledging life and those we cross paths with. Living masks. Celebrating the people who surround us and their influence.

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Seeds and growth

Seeds are varied in size and output. Some are food based, other produce plants that are more decorative. For this project it seems to make sense to narrow that down to a particular group of seeds. Microgreens. Most of these seeds are able to grow year round, there’s still a large variety, so you can get differences in growth/colour to create different patterns in one space. Most grow in around 10-15 days.  Many of the microgreens have similar seeds, Kale, mustard and cabbage all have a small circular seed roughly that of a poppy seed. then there are even smaller seeds like watercress. These are the seeds that have more potential in terms of extrusion due to size, in comparison to say a pea seed. However even though a seed maybe able to be extruded, its important to consider what happens after. Seeds are not static in growth. They can crack open and expand, shooting out sprouts and roots. Depending on how stable the soil is this could prove an issue, a sprouting seed has the potential to move the earth it grows in. Changing its structural integrity potentially for the worse.

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http://www.egmontseeds.co.nz/ http://www.yates.co.nz/products/seeds/

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Funnel test

Aka can it extrude. Passing just TEST 1 through the 3mm funnel I found something interesting, no matter how I pushed with the spoon the mixture blocked the funnel and did not extrude. TEST 4 was far more promising. It extruded a fair amount for the amount of dirt I put into the funnel and it remained intact. 

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Tests Test 1 3 parts top soil 2 Parts water -Clumps slightly, can be shaped by hand. unsure of how it would handle being piped. Pulls back apart readily TEST 2 3 parts clay soil 2 parts water Liquid paste, sticky, not easily shaped-does not seperate from itself well Would adding the topsoil make it shapeable, or should the water content be lowered? TEST 3 test 2 + 1 part top soil Holds shape well, slightly more paste like in appearance than test one, can easily be shaped by hand. Leaves less notable residue than test one when hand shaping. Looks like it could be easily piped, but is fairly dense-roots may not be easily able to take hold TEST 4 Test 3 + 2 parts coffee grounds Slight loss in elasticity. coffee grounds weren’t dry, countered with 1/4 part of dust to get desired consistency. Need to pass through a pressure extrusion test to fully understand the potential. CONCLUSION The different soils have vastly different properties, neither alone are the ideal growing/extruding/building material, but a combination of the two has potential. One limitation of the soil I’m currently working with is that I’m unaware of the pH value, ideally the soil would be neutral as most commercial top soils aim to be for the growth of most plants. The benefit of working with dust is the dryness that when combined with seeds shouldn’t promote germination, it breaks it down to a just add water mix.

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Could coffee grounds be used in the same way as sand in a seedling mix? Aeration and drainage help prevent seeds rotting so if what is said here is true it could benefit the final mix. In comparison to what else could be used it doesn’t need to be ground down, heavily processed to make it easily used with an extruder. The grounds may cause the dirt to seperate, but they are less likely to cause a blockage than fibres would. 

#vermicomposting

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https://www.milkwood.net/2015/05/11/how-to-make-best-ever-seed-raising-mix/ http://www.afarmofyourhome.com/seed-raising-mix/

#organic gardening

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http://www.urbanpaving.co.nz/landscape-supplies/topsoil-garden/ http://daltons.co.nz/commercial-mixes/bulk-nursery-mixes/propagation-sand/propagation-sand-no2 http://www.centrallandscapes.co.nz/products/category/sand-aggregates.html http://www.centrallandscapes.co.nz/products/category/growing-media.html

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Top Soil vs Clay Soil One of the issues with working with soil is that it has a tendency to contain other material (plant matter, gravel ect) Other materials, when looking at the idea of extruding soil, have the potential to jam/block. My aim for these experiments is to produce a paste that can be extruded with pressure at a consistent rate, but the paste also needs some degree of structural integrity so it can be built upon/layered. To remove the excess material I follow a method used by those who dig their own clay for use in ceramics.  Step one:Dry the dirt completely (oven baked) Step two:Break the dry material down (I used a hammer, but a mortar and pestle would have broken things down further and produced more material to work with.) Step three: Sieve to seperate clumps from dust. The nest step with be to add different amounts of water to the dust to see if the materials behave in different ways. Also to add fibres and paper to see if it changes structure enough to have an impact. Notes There’s a clear difference in density between baked top soil and clay soil, top soil readily crumbles while the clay takes more force to seperate

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Mini garden maker. Taking the idea of the ram extruder printer and other projects that have included soil/seed paste printing and looking as it as a potentially decorative way of creating a growing arrangement. It has the potential to create complex pattern gardens, that could be purely decorative or also an edible product. The grower loses the hassle of seed placement and spacing, but still receives all the joy of watching the space grow and come to life. 

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Bricklayer. Inspired by the burger flipping robotic arm.

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Possible application for a paste extruder. Digital landscaping/garden planning