Welcome to my Thesis Project!
Proudly, my ArootZ design received the following awards:
Design Excellence Award - Alumni Choice Award - 1st Place
Design Excellence Award - Faculty Choice Award - 1st Place
Best Thesis Award - Faculty Choice Award - 2nd Place
ACIDO Rocket Nominee
Motion Presentation - Product Design - Honorable Mention
Graphic Design - Poster Layout - Honorable Mention
Please join me on my year-long journey of research and design work that produced an innovative and systematic approach to solving a global issue.
Tree Planting
What is it?
With the effects of climate change continually evolving and affecting us on a global scale, planting trees remains one of the best fully natural ways of combating its effects.
Thousands of young men and women spend their summers re-building remote forests. The majority of this industry deals with re-planting trees on contracted lands that have been cut down by lumber companies. New tree and woodland planting initiatives use these same methods to create a greener future.
The harsh physical environment and demanding workloads combined with inadequate tools and equipment that tree planters encounter often lead to injuries.
Project Highlights
Ergonomically Centered.
At the center of the ArootZ system is the newly designed planting harness. ArootZ’s planting harnesses have adjustable lumbar and hipbelt padding, an incorporated lightweight suspension frame and adjustable load lifter straps.
Work Efficiently.
Currently, tree planters must load their own planting bags. This adds additional labour, time, and waste to the planting process. ArootZ addresses this through its hemp bag 3-point clipping system. The ArootZ fully biodegradable hemp bags are loaded with seedlings and shipped directly to the cut block from the nursery. The bags are then quickly and easily clipped onto the planters harness and ready for planting.
Stay Centered.
The majority of tree planting injuries arise from improper posture and planting techniques. When fully loaded, planters carry 60 lbs of seedlings around their waist. The existing harnesses restrict mobility and cause improper weight distribution, creating bad posture and planting techniques. ArootZ gimbal mechanism ensures their planting bags follows them as they move through the cut block. This allows them to maintain their center of gravity throughout the planting process.
Full Cycle.
From tree to sawdust, back to a tree. ArootZ uses a bioplastic called lignin. Lignin is a bi-product of sawdust which can be used to create the bio-plastic that the ArootZ grow stick is made from. The grow stick serves two purposes during the planting and growing process. First, it removes the use of harmful plastic used by planters to “mark their line”. Second, it supports the seedling during its transportation, provides structure long after it’s planted and creates the initial foundation needed to grow for the next 80 -100 years.
Latest and Greatest.
In order to create the final CAD model, Virtual Reality was used, supported by the application Gravity Sketch. VR, and its role in the field of design, continue to evolve. In 2021, Gravity Sketch started to make noticeable waves within the industry. The ability to quickly and freely model in a virtual environment, to scale, is unparalleled. I successfully learned this new technology and utilized it as another tool for my design work. After learning the capabilities of this powerful technology, I was inspired to implement its use in my design process and industry work.
The ArootZ CAD model was divided into two steps. The first was soft goods, which were modelled using Gravity Sketch in VR. In the second process, the components were transferred to SolidWorks where they were added to the hard components in an assembly. Everything was scaled and modelled around the same human figure, thus ensuring all components precisely work with one another.
The Final System.
ArootZ takes a systematic approach to transform the future of Tree Planting. Every step of the Tree Planting process, from the growth of the seedling to planting, has been meticulously considered and designed.
About the Graduating Year
INSIDE THE BOX
THESIS SHOW 2021 - BACHELOR OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
About the Graduating Year:
A year was spent inside their boxes; innovating, creating, and learning. We are proud to present the capstone thesis projects of this year’s graduating students. Given the severe restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, they found new ways to thrive. They learned new skills and techniques. Ultimately, they re-imagined new ways of working. We celebrate the culmination of four years of dedication and commitment to design excellence.