May 22, 2016 | By Tess
In terms of home decor, there is nothing quite as elegant and lively as simply having some plants in the living space. Not only does having some green in the house look great and vibrant, but it can also help to cleanse the air you are living in and to provide moisture in a dry atmosphere. Of course, how you present your plants in your home is key, both to make them visually appealing and to give them enough light to stay alive. Fortunately, a team of architects and product designers have launched a new product, Livi, which is helping to reimagine how we present plants in our homes.
The 3D printed planter, which is currently being featured through a Kickstarter campaign, is unlike other planters in one key way: it can be stuck to vertical surfaces such as windows or even appliances to create a vertical garden in your home. Livi’s frog-like structure, which is undeniably cute, uses micro-suction pads on each of its four feet to adhere to clean, smooth, and dry surfaces like windows. The planter can then be fitted with small planter pots or filled with soil itself to house small greens or flowers.
Perfect for livening up a space, or even keeping fresh herbs handy in the kitchen, Livi was designed with the purpose of “reimagining the commonplace planter as a playful animated creature”. As the product’s designers explain on their Kickstarter page, “we sought to create a more engaging pleasurable experience with plants and flowers.”
Livi was developed by a team of architects, product and landscape designers including Hooman Kolijj, Parsa Shirazi, Yildirim Yazgaranikan, and Mandana Parvinian. Together they developed their product with the help of 3D printing technologies—all the planters featured in the video are 3D printed—and lots of customer feedback to get a design that prioritized user experience. The final design is a compact vertical planter with a capacity of up to 10oz (17.5 cubic inches) 3D printed out of an entirely recyclable resin material.
What makes the Livi planter especially notable is its innovative micro-suction pads that help it stick to vertical surfaces. In creating the pads, which can be used and reused, the design team used suction technology but on a microscopic level. Livi’s footpads are essentially made up of hundreds of tiny air pockets which create a vacuum effect once they are pressed onto a smooth, dry surface. To maintain the planter’s strong bonding properties, Livi’s developers suggest cleaning the surface before sticking the planter on, removing it gently from windows or walls, and to periodically clean the pads with a damp cloth to keep them dust free.
As mentioned, Livi is currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign which expires on June 5th, 2016. Since the crowdfunding campaign’s launch on April 20th, the startup has already received more than $20,000 of its $23,500 goal. Though many of the Earlybird deals have sold out, you can still make reasonable pledges to receive your very own Livi planter. For $16 you will receive one planter of the color of your choice which comes with a 2” planter pot, and a plastic dropped pipette to water the tiny plant, for a pledge of $30 you will receive two, four for $50 and so on. For now, four colors have been made available (jasmine, sunflower, lime, and aqua), but stretch goals have the potential to unlock another four fun colors.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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