wet dreams. living machines

I have been researching (obviously) presentation styles and design styles. I see the project heading into more of a spectulative design. I have been designing my device as if it could be made for today manufacturing capabilities but the concept of the fuel cell itself was set in the next decade. Essentially using todays manufacturing processes but technology that may not exist for another 10 to 15 years. So I have been shooting myself in the proverbial foot with this project. I think that I really need to let go of these “constraints” and determine my ideal future and then base my product around that. Not the other way round.

I think as far a presenting is concerned, the best format will be posters.
-First describing the future and how we interact with products, also the factors that will determine the direction of the product such as oil based products, electrical devices, consumer and global trends.
-The next poster needs to describe the process and the factors that effect its performance. How these will change in the future is also definately worth mentioning.
-The last poster will be the actual product. I want to show how it fits into our lives in the future and how it is operated. I think the form and shape of the object will be fairly nondescript. The technology and concept of the project exists within the skin of the device. Admittedly the form of the object plays a large if not massive role in communicating its function but I think in the situation of this design, the aesthetic will be determined on the context in which it is placed. I can foresee two scenarios where the device is hidden away from sight under a sink that has a seperate opening for food and waste water located on your bench top. The other scenario is that the unit is found in an open plane living arrangement but in an innercity apartment with only one or two inhabitants.

Here are some links that I have found in my internet travels. I do not think we should be replicating or even taking inspiration from other peoples work. We need to be creative and in the context of spectulative design, the “posters” or what ever need to further reinforce this idea.

Mobile Phone concept.

More Concepts.

MFC powered car.

Bone design for Phillipa.

The Future of Melbourne.

We are pretty much F*cked.

EDIT- This is my Favourite!

Yet Another cool Link.

The two above play into my work with MFC devices. I am seeing a trend of creating micro communities that work together. But then again look at some of the housing estates out of the city. uukkk!

See you monday!

I had an interesting meeting yesterday with a gentleman who works for Monash Uni. He work in the modelling lab and knows most of our workshop staff. He has done alot of product based stuff such as fans and heaters, toasters and the like. I went to him to get second opinion about my work.

Well after a lengthy discussion I found that I am still where I was at the start of semester, I still need to define my perfect future which will in turn determine the nature of the product. We discussed that mobile phones and transistors are getting so small that we need not carry a mobile telephone in our pocket but maybe it is attached to your neck with a necklace or it might look like a blue tooth handsfree unit.
We also discussed how people will be living in the future aswell. That the demand for real estate will stop spreading outward and start going up. We will be accustomed to living in small flats and houses because we will not spend so much time in them as we do now. The average person now spends more time working and socialising reducing the need for “homely” housing.

I really should have defined on paper were the hell this project is going to end up rather then designing it to suit my personal tastes and ideas.

Back to the drawing board….

Blake

Isnt it pretty.

Yogurt, milk and sunlight.

Now that is a fungi. I found it in the back yard and I want to grow it as big as possible!

Blake

Well I was a bit disapoint in my progress report. I was under the impression that we could bring in a work a get more direction and focus. I personally was able do refine the technical aspects of MFC operations and also the ethical issues that surround most project. But I stand by the fact that we all need to bring something tangible in to show others so that we can give each other opinions and advice that is unhindered. Hand movements and unstructured sentences make it difficult for anyone to get any benefit from the presentations.
I will continue to work on my final idea, one which is becoming more firmly seated in the grounds of reality.

Im finished.

Blake

Progress Report:

Well I have been a busy bee lately, unashamedly with my more pressing subjects. But the wheels of time progress far too quickly.

As part of my research I have been looking into what type of MFC is sutiable for my brief and the requirements for its survival. An interesting aspect came to light during my research, that if you do not supply the MFC with a constant food source they will eventually die. This plays into Boo’s issue of maintaining a system which in turn provides you with a service. The level of dependency on the living system dictates your involvement in its maintainence. I think it also develops into an issue of Bio-ethics aswell.
If your MFC ceases to provide electricity because all of your Bacteria have died due to starvation, would you feel responsible and even guilty for their demise or since they do not provide any emotional amusement it makes it OK to flush them down the toilet.
Another compelling aspect is that Microbiologists are now cultivating different sorts of bacteria using conventional cultivation techniques and new techniques for seperating more efficient types of bacteria. These are then grown much in a similar way as penicillin.
I think this is another one of those ethical questions that I would rather avoid but in the context of this class I have no option but to contribute. I think that the cultivation and commercialisation of bacteria and microrganisms is ethically acceptable but I draw the line if they become genetically modified. The primary concern being cross-contamination between species.
It is another interesting aspect of the project that I did not really consider but must definately be considered in the context of producing sustainable energy for the general public.

The two types of MFC are single and double chamber units. Within each catergory exists a mediator or mediatorless MFC. The mediator can in a sense be thought of as a food or addition for the MFC to continue functioning and transferring electrons. The chemicals used are expensive and poisonous.
I will be focusing on Mediatorless MFC devices. They are different from mediator types, in that the bacteria are electrochemically active to transfer the excess electrons to an electrode. The food source for mediator can be glucose and other food waste containing carbohydrates. Human excrement can also be used as we all know but it does not contain as much energy.

The single versus double chamber pertains to how the electrons are collected through the anode and cathode. Single chamber MFC devices are far simpler in use as the inoculant can be directly placed into the anaerobic (no oxygen) chamber. I think the main problem with technology of this nature is that I am not a scientist, and it makes it difficult to understand the finer details of the processes involved but it begs the question of how much information is required to design the product that I want.

As far as making little changes in our everyday life, I do agree in part with that statement but if you look at the 2020 Summit in Canberra, as belated as it was, was a huge step in providing the intiative for the current government to take some form of action. I think that the little action we take in our own homes might provide the stimulus or growth of an idea but it is how you perpetuate your idea upon others that makes change happen.
Taking MFC devices as an example. The idea was concieved in 1912 and really kicked off in the 1970′s. The development has occoured in both funded universities and people in their backyards and it continues to develop at an exponetial rate. But to a certain perspective maybe it is the people making little discoveries that are not be held down by external factors and are free to experiment within the own little world are the poeple that will make the biggest difference in the future.

Phew.

Blake

The Harsh Reality

Glucose based MFC

The basic type of MFC I am looking into.

More efficient MFC’s

Making a Two Chamber MFC.

I will add to this for those that are interested.

Blake

What kind of future does your design suggest?/What kind of future do you want to allude to in your design?

I think my design will represent possibilities. I want to evoke thought from viewers by posing an alternate solution to what they assume is the future of renewable power generation. I think that the functions and system design are what will provoke the viewer.

I am not suggesting that I could ever stop the proverbial steamroller of society’s ideologies and behavior, but I can try! It is pertinent to note that as the situation of global warming looms ever more self-evident, that the perceptions of “normal” power production will shift by forceful reality. My idea is paralleled by many other technologies that once seemed sparse and complex are now available in residential applications.

I feel that the introduction of new technologies is somewhat hampered by the accessibility to general public. Inhibitors such as cost and complexity are some of the key factors in preventing access of important technologies. This is an aspect on which I would like to focus on. How much benefit would a product of thias calibre and performance cost? and how would it be of any benefit over other sources of sustainable electricity? Many, many questions that still need to be answered.

I see the future as becoming more intergrated and more concious of our power sources. As it stands now, we have coal-fired electricity 24/7 and we do not need to think where it comes from or how it is made. Imagine flipping that 180, where we need to feed something in order to supply our electricity needs.
I see my design intergrating with other developed technologies to form part of a whole system in which we can lead a relatively normal existence (what is normal??). The future requires society to live in harmony we each other and the environment, but I am concerned that neither will happen until it is too late. I will continue to refine my scenario so that I can deine my product more.

What limitations/parameters are you putting in place?

I think that I have to be realistic about the potential power output of a device described in my brief. I can base this on current power outputs, but also then extrapolate this figure based on the potential development of this technology in the near future. I am limiting myself to powering small electrical devices and potentially feeding excess electricity back into the grid. This also allows me to define the location of the MFC whether it is small and compact to fit in your kitchen under your sink or requires a large capital investment and scrapping your renovation plans.
I want the unit to be incorporated in to everyday life so I can envisage it not be large and unweilding but rather small and efficient like a Italian Espresso machine…But you can see were I am going with this.

More questions need to be developed and answered for this project to continue.

Blake

To design a device that can be used to recharge small capacity battery powered devices using future MFC technology. The design will be speculative and provide information about future consumer lifestyles and the direction they will take in the future.
The appliance should be able to recharge music playing devices, charge batteries and mobile phones using comonly available waste materials found in the average home.
The overall size of the unit should not impede upon the space requirements were it is placed (make it small)

Considerations:

- Up to for people should be able to efficiently charge four devices simultaneously.
- Possibility of feeding power back into the electricity grid.
- Minimising installation costs if applicable.
- Maintainence requirements should be kept to minimum and the unit should be simple to clean.

My Actual Brief to Myself:

I want to do a project with a strong emphasis on product design principles and skills as it is an area which I have neglected in my studies. Plus I think it is interesting working on a project that has so many option to consider. The project should be seen as a piece of clay to which I can mould in my image and ideas. But it also worth noting the potential variables that exist in a project and how all these can affect the final design. Most likely what will happen is that too many ideas and trying to fulfill too many scenarios will create a very confusing and difficult project….

meh.

Please shoot ideas around in class as we can all benefit from opinions and different ideas.

Well I have been generating ideas on how to best utilise the concept of MFC’s. I think the primary concern is that by designing a device that use’s the technology will in a sense be designing how people will live in the future. You can design an object in the year 2008 but designing for the year 201? will have a totally different context and set of social implications. How will societies perceptions change in the future in regard to generating electricity and how can a design influence or promote a new way of doing things.

My initial ideas are for a device that uses a Microbial Fuel Cell to recharge small electronic devices such as portable communication devices, music listening devices and recharging batteries. By stating this, it open up a whole massive range of questions and problems that need to be answered for the project to continue. But the essence of the project will by primarily product design (drawing, ergonomics and systems) This is an area of which I want to improve my skills.

I will add my brief later today.

I hope everyone had a pleasent break catching up on all there homework as supplied by various lecturers.

In response to your question on maintaining a living system, I will best respond in the context of an MFC (Mircobial Fuel Cell).

Hypothetically, if we were to utilise a living system to create energy and clean water using natural organisms found in the enviroment, how would this create a situation were the organism is domesticated. The sole purpose of the bacteria (δ-Proteobacteria) is to digest the organic matter contained in the MFC. From which, a small amount of electricity is generated. It would appear that there is no concern of domestication or inter-dependancy.

But, to a certain degree, the microorgasmisms become dependent on the beneficary of there electricity supply. If no new food is supplied, the organisms will most surely die. Consequentially, no more electricity would be provided and the system would have to be restarted.

In the context of an MFC, I do not believe the the users would create an attachment to their little organisms like that of a pet. But the continued supply would be solely dependent on the user of the MFC. So, in a sense, an MFC would be comparative to a high maintainence compost heap or worm farm. Were the user is providing a food source so that the organism (worm or bacteria) may survive and fulfill its sole function in its small life.
Although, admittedly in the future biologists and scientists will no doubt engineer an organism which has a much higher rate of converting food energy into electricity. In which case, the need for seperation of man-made organisms will become paramount as to not cross contaminate species of bacteria.
As we are right now, if you could source the bacteria from local supplies and within you locality, I see no problem of releasing an organism back into the “wild”. The bacteria is not subject to being in an environment in which it forced to change and evolve.

I will continue this post further WHEN I own my opinion.

See you in class.

Blake