Engineering Challenge - Integrate Functionality & Livability

Okay so maybe a few of my posts are going to be influenced by the TEDx talk I went to last night, mostly because my head started exploding with all these ideas because of the talks. So I issue a challenge to all my smarty fellow Robotics students [you can do this too Mueth], and any blog readers out there are more then welcome to join in as well. I want you to take 2 or more things and merge them in such a way to improve both their designs and functionality. To increase there aesthetic pleasure as well massively improve there use. Now at this point you're like WTF Kayla really? Yes, really. Its not hard I promise, I came up with like 3 really awesome ideas while just waiting for my ride to pick me up after the TEDx event. ^^ It was kind of funny seeing me trying to write down and draw them out as quickly as possible before I forgot them. And by the way this challenge is inspired by a Mr. Derren Petrucci who gave an amazing talk and who I think would be a good person for UAT's crazy Robotics division to work with~ *hinthintMuethhinthint*

Growing Plants Everywhere - VermiSoks

Okay so I met the guy who came up with this idea, Miguel Jardine, at a TEDx Scottsdale talk last night. It really is an amazingly out there idea with a lot of potential. Pretty much you can have a self-sustained gardening system and you don't even need water. Hm.... no water, we're in a desert with little to no water... I say UAT should look into using this to take over a small part of that empty lot we own to experiment! No breaking ground or construction needed so it doesn't step on anyone's toes. So you should check it out here.

I mean seriously check out some of the pictures from the stuff Miguel grew during the middle of a summer here. The look so yummy and fresh!

Not only that but the system is simple enough where anyone can be taught how to maintain and set up this system. Pretty much what you see in the picture about is a long tube of Earthworms and coconut husks, the base of the VermiSoks system. You then take the waste produced by restaurants or CAFES [I'm looking at you Cuban Pete's] and the biodegradable stuff gets liquefied and feed into these tubes where they feed the Earthworms and then the Earthworms create this super nutrient rich environment for you to grow on. Kind of awesome huh?