personal food computers
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PLANTS GROWN WITHIN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AREN ’ T AFFECTED BY ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND NEITHER ARE YOU AS
THE CLIMATE IS AUTOMATICALLY
ADJUSTED TO THE PROPER SETTING .”
Photo Credits : MIT Media Lab
Construct Your Own PFC
This box garden is intended for personal , educational , and experimental purposes . Harper ’ s dream and goal is to share and inspire the open-source community to engage in the PFC ’ s continued development by having it duplicated , modified , and improved upon by people with courage and insight , like an assembly line of ideas in which each step is an advancement over the last . “ There is a groundswell of consumers and young innovators that would like to make a big difference . All we need is the tools . My focus is getting those tools out there ,” says Harper . The building instructions and schematics of the OpenAg PFC are available online for people to utilize and modify , and growers are encouraged to experiment and improve upon the design . All parts needed to construct one are easily found , and you don ’ t have to be Bob Villa to build it . You also don ’ t have to be Nostradamus to see where this is going as its potential is unharnessed through an ever-evolving network of like-minded pioneers worldwide . Unquestionably , the PFC is in its embryonic stage and growing food reveals only one potential . As to the future , Harper stated in a recent interview that 20 years from now he could envision a patient being given a vial of bacteria into which a single seed is deposited and placed into a PFC . Using a climate recipe specifically tailored to their genome and lifestyle , they could literally grow their own prescription .
That day will certainly bring new meaning to the term “ homegrown ,” which may include everything from food to medicine and beyond .
The Cost
The first PFCs for retail will ship out with limited sensor banks and a price tag approaching US $ 1,000 . Getting the price down to a feasible sum for consumers is the next phase . Harper says he hopes the costs per unit will drop significantly as the technology progresses . He said he foresees a day where the price would range from $ 300-500 , making it more readily available to the home grower . But , he also concedes it will take some time . While not yet in full production , Harper began donating PFCs in September to select schools in an effort to raise educational awareness and encourage students and teachers to get involved in helping solve the world ’ s food shortages . Homegrown food not only saves money and is healthier than most store-bought foods , but reduces our proverbial carbon footprint by eliminating the use of fossil fuels transporting the food to market .
The Dirt on Gardening
A garden is still a garden and must be tended to , high-tech or not . However , with the PFC , tending the garden may get much easier the smarter your garden gets . A garden that can tend itself has its advantages . Plants grown within a controlled environment aren ’ t affected by adverse weather conditions and neither are you as the climate is automatically adjusted to the proper setting . In addition , over- or underwatering and feeding will no longer be an issue in that the precise amount of nutrients and water is preprogrammed and administered accordingly . Insect infestation is unlikely as insects are generally known to feast on unhealthy plants . Cross-contamination from sickly plants is practically non-existent , and , most importantly , with a PFC , a consistent yield is guaranteed virtually every time .
Thanks to innovators like Harper , a future with personal food computers is coming and I , for one , can ’ t wait to see where it grows .
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