The population increase often gives negative impacts on the
environment, one the examples is the waste of electronic industry. In every
year there are about 20-50 million tons of electronic waste. Not just humans,
but the lives of plants and animals are also threatened. The advance technology
should be able to support the environmental conservation, and it can be started
by doing one small step.
Jared Wolfe is a biologist who has studied about the
relationship between the frogs and the preservation of tropical forests. This
amphibian is considered as the most sensitive fauna, and it is regarded as an
important indicator of the ecosystem's health. The drastic decrease of habitat
leads to the extinction of several species of rare frogs, it's pushing Wolfe to
design an artificial habitat in order to save them. And that's the beginning of
the Biopod project.
Basically, Biopod is a miniature of natural habitat aka
microhabitat. It's like a sophisticated aquarium, but not only to keep fish,
you can also plant vegetables, build a small version of the rainforest, raising
animals, children's learning platform, or just to decorate the house. Biopod is
also supported by smart features and connectivity; all functions can be
controlled through the mobile app.
Biopod can be used in a simple way. First, you only need to
add soil and planting seeds. Then select what you want to cultivation: plants,
animals or decorations. Biopod application will tell you the best seed
varieties, including the information about the cycle and the growth duration.
You can also choose the habitat and the development program of hundreds
species, plus the recommendations of supporting plants.
Biopod is able to regulate the temperature, lights,
humidity, air circulation, and rainfall; all of them are done automatically.
The lights are produced by the UVA / UVB LED bulbs, and all of these
capabilities are connected to the app through Wi-Fi. The device can also be
used for recording via the HD camera. Each unit is connected to Biopod Cloud
platform, where you can share information with the other Biopod owners.
Wolfe and his team provide three types of Biopod based on
the volume size: One (53-liter), Terra (80-liter) and Aqua (120-liter). There
is one important consideration: the presentation of the artificial microhabitat
is much simpler and cheaper than if you built it by yourself. There are dozens
of components that must be prepared, and according to the developer, you may
spend up to more than US $ 1,000.
The developer is currently raising the funds through the
Kickstarter, and the stretch target has been exceeded. Biopod retail version is
planned to be sold starts from US $ 299, but in the crowdfunding phase, you can
have it for US $ 205.