UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed
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Goal 2: Zero Hunger
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Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption
2019 Global Design Challenge Finalist
This design concept was developed by participants in the Institute’s Global Design Challenge. The descriptions below are from the team’s competition entry materials.
Location: New York, NY, United States
Team members: Jiajie Xu, Fanjin Fanjin, Xiaoke Li, Jiahao Yu
Innovation Details
Tomato’s Home addresses the issue of food waste in producing countries with an energy efficient tomato storage system that can prolong the freshness of tomatoes, one of the most common crops in Nigeria, by five to six days. The team from Pratt Institute in New York, NY, utilized local materials and drew inspiration from cacti, quiver trees, South-American grass cutting ants, desert snails, and the respiratory system of crickets.
What is the technology and how does it work? The design greatly reduces the tomato waste problems in Nigeria by using interior strategies in the post-harvest stages. This product could extend to other parts of the world with similar problems.
How it is biomimetic? The team studied how nature keeps seeds and fruit safe and fresh. Inspired by the pea, they learned how to keep every single seed fresh and independent without contaminating each other, and studied the ventilation and anti-heating systems of animals and plants, and what kind of strategies they use to keep cool. They learned how a cricket cools its body, in addition to being inspired by the cacti, the branches of a quiver tree, desert snails, and the South American grass-cutting ants.
What is the solution’s impact? The design materials are all gathered locally. The product doesn’t require any electricity or extra energy to maintain, and can easily apply local aesthetics. It is an economical, environmentally-friendly, and easy-to-use design.
