VEGILAB and aquaponics indoor growing system

Abstract

A multidisciplinary senior project team consisting of five students from Design Engineering Technology (DET) and Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MFET) have been tasked to design and fabricate an indoor growing system using the VEGILAB technique and Aquaponics system. The project involves a collaborative effort between our university and a Japanese company, the project client. The Japanese company is responsible for funding the project and in turn will obtain the intellectual property rights to the project. Due to a constantly increasing world population, a decrease of farm land, climate changes, and food safety concerns, many companies have gotten involved in plant factories that grow certain crops regardless of the weather or environment. The Japanese company, our client, has been expanding the business to include a plant factory called VEGILAB. The VEGILAB is an indoor system that grows vegetables, such as lettuce or tomatoes, in minimal spaces using LED lighting. In conjunction, Aquaponics is another well-established sustainable system that is used for growing plants and fish at the same time. Existing systems that combine these technologies must overcome some fundamental issues: unattractive design, expensive manufacturing costs, limited grow options, and food quality control. Our senior project team will design and manufacture a new, aesthetically appealing and innovative system that is a combination of the VEGILAB technique and the Aquaponics system which can be used in industry and at home. Students will spend the first semester, fall 2013, researching, planning, and designing the system. In the spring of 2014, students will be involved in the fabrication and testing of the system. Faculty members from other institutions with experience in Aquaponics will provide additional advisement on the project. Upon completion of the project, the system will be shipped to Hawaii for a formal presentation to the client.