Elis Rumma specialty project "Object" - an inflatable apple harvesting aid
Working on specialty project “Object” helps students to understand all stages of the design and development process of a design object, from the formulation of the initial task and the development of the initial idea to the creation of a conceptual product prototype. During the whole semester-long studio, the 3rd year interior architecture student acquires theoretical and practical knowledge and experience in designing and testing his / her ideas by building three-dimensional models himself / herself.
At the beginning of the autumn semester of 2019, supervisor Janno Roos instructed the students to find a problem that could be solved by creating an inflatable object, then design the object and build a ready-made prototype. What problems can be solved with an inflatable object and what typical problems can arise in the manufacture of an inflatable object?
Tutor: Janno Roos
Elis Rumma – Apple harvester
Task setting: Find a functional solution to simplify apple picking and save raw materials. Picking apples takes time and must be done constantly; apples falling on top of each other and falling will get injured. Injured apples are wasted. A solution could be provided by an inflatable picker that softens the landing and helps to gather apples with as little bruising as possible. The object must be simple and logical, take into account the outdoor conditions and the apple tree.
Solution: The apple harvester is spread around the tree, the form is filled with a blower. The apples land on the cleaner and roll into the intermediate corridors of the object. Applying pressure to the object, the apples roll together to one point. At the end of the apple season, the cleaning work is done, the inflated object emptied. Due to the outdoor conditions, the material is PVC; The assembled cleaner does not take up much space and will wait for the next season.
Process: analysis> drawings> 1:20 model> 1:5 prototype> analysis> alternative forms> drawings> 1:2 prototype
Result: The solution partially meets the goal. A functional solution to the problem achieved with an inflatable – the object brings the apples together. The solution needs further development in form, material as well as detail and tests in outdoor conditions.
