On the return of the 2012 PneuDrive Challenge winning team from its recent trip to SEW-Eurodrive’s headquarters in Germany, SEW-Eurodrive general manager communications, Rene Rose, spoke to the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students about their winning design and overall involvement and experience in the contest.
The TUT team with the high-speed automated seeding machine.
The winning team, made up of Mias Swanepoel, Byron Nielson, JP Joubert and Gerrit Botha, point out that upon entering the contest they were confident that they were going to develop a winning design that would highlight the reality of hunger in the world, thereby tying into the contest’s theme of engineering a solution that could improve the lives of South African disadvantaged communities.
The team’s initial research into the area of plant yields revealed that significant improvements could be made in the area of seed propagation and planting. The team recognised that many disadvantaged communities have insufficient land to grow crops and have limited income to purchase enough food to meet their daily requirements. As a result, the aim was to develop a concept that would increase the effectiveness of the seeding propagation and planting process, thereby decreasing the cost of crop production and offering opportunities to supply cheaper agricultural products to consumers.
After months of in-depth research and consultation with professors, lecturers, industry professionals and fellow students, the team developed the concept of a high-speed automated seeding machine. They point out that research indicates that by reducing the costs associated with seeding and improving the productivity and planting efficiency of greenhouse farms, food production can be increased at a lower cost.
The Gel Seed Printer makes use of hydrogels with mechanised seed planting. One of the most important characteristics of the hydrogel is its ability to hold large amounts of water far exceeding its own weight. The team stresses that this characteristic is important in a farming environment because hydrogels can store water and nutrients in capsules allowing for slow release in areas that are characterised as being arid. Instead of releasing the water all at once, the hydrogel conserves moisture and locks it in, keeping the ground moist.
Overall, the judging panel awarded first place to the TUT team for a well-researched and innovative design which could mechanise, simplify and improve the way farmers raise their crops.
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