Project Meeting 2 (with teacher mentor) 31th January 2011

Date: 31^th January 2011

Time: 1400-1420

Venue: Outside Staffroom

Members : Hao Yu, Gary, Boning, Akira

No.	Discussed
1	Scientific background for the need of the project ·         Research on why the need for clearing of excess water in the plant pot ·     Discussed advantages and disadvantages of plant pot dish
2	Aesthetics qualities ·         Think of several designs to customise the product ·         More variety of overall shape for the PlantPlat instead of just having cuboid shapes ·         Appealing ·         What is the most suitable material for making the PlantPlat? Wood? Plastic? Clay?
3	The use of hinges?       ·   Can use to position the plant pot       ·   Costly

Roles Allocation (temp)

Gary- Leader

Boning- Asst. Leader

Haoyu- Secretary

Akira- Admin and Logs

Tasks

Gary: Research on the need of holes in plant pots (point 1)

Boning: Research on the need of holes (point 1)

Akira: Discuss with Haoyu about the use of hinges (point 1)

Haoyu: Design & brush up on hinges idea

First Meeting-Brainstorming Ideas 13 January 2011

 Date: 13^th January 2011

Time: 1330-1400

Venue: 2i2 Classroom

Members : Hao Yu, Gary, Boning, Akira

No.	Discussed
1	Category ·         Cat 3 Inventions
2	Ideas we thought of ·         A new and improved Plant pot plate, the PlantPlat. ·         Fights dengue, helps out the old people... ·         The triple lock idea which will triple the bad qualities
3	Any others ·         Will stick to the Plant Plat until new better ideas are made up ·         Next meeting 14th January 2011, 1330 to 1430 at 2i2 Classroom ·         Teacher mentor? ·         Should we go for IVP?

We got the idea of a Plant Plat when one of our group members suggested about improvements that could be made to a plant pot dish. He stated that it is very tedious to empty the water in the plant pot dish because one has to lift the whole plant pot to be able to empty the water in the plant pot dish. The stagnant water is also a good breeding spot for mosquitoes. Thus, our group thought of adding a drawer to the plant pot dish to collect the water so that there is no need to lift the heavy plant pot to empty the water. Instead, water can be emptied easily by pulling out the drawer and pouring the water away. It can also prevent mosquitoes from breeding because it is covered.

We also thought of another idea which is to create a lock  which can solve the problem of losing the key or forgetting the code by combining 3 locks, a padlock, the combination lock and the type of lock which requires a pin code. However we realized that the idea was not feasible as this lock would have the flaws of all three locks, ie. losing the key or forgetting th e code.

Plantplat Proposal

Introduction to the Group

We have four promising members in our group, who are Akira Makino, Khor Hao Yu, Gary Lim Yan Peng and Zhao Boning. The four of us are from 2I2 and we will be working on an invention project. Our aim is to help alleviate problems in the society faced in our daily lives. We bring you our first idea, ‘Plantplat’.

Project Objectives

• Reduce the problems and danger of keeping plants in typical households
• Help alleviate the risk of dengue fever in the neighbourhoods of Singapore

Introduction to the Plantplat

Plantplat refers to a platform to place a pot of plant on in order to reduce the hassle and danger of gardening. It allows gardening to be more convenient and safe for residents of any age.  Its simple design and availability of materials allows the Plantplat to be distributed widely if there is a chance to.

Background for the Plantplat

The idea for this invention initially comes from helping the older residents of Singapore reduce the risk of hurting themselves in the midst of clearing the water from their flower pots. However, as we ponder on other improvements that can be made onto the Plantplat, we found out that this little platform have many other benefits that will not only benefit the aging community but also any and every Singaporean that keeps plants at home.

Benefits of the Plantplat (in current stages)*

• It allows water to be collected in a drawer, therefore eliminating the risk of an elderly spraining his/her back while carrying the plant pot up to collect water. The water collected in the drawer can be remove from the platform easily and cleared away, thus making it safe and convenient.
• It secures the plant onto the Plantplat with hooks in the platform, thus preventing accidents regarding the knocking over the flower pots (unconfirmed)
• It allows plant pots to be placed on ledges as it has hinges to secure the platform on the ledge. This prevents killer littering and it will be safer for the residents. (unconfirmed)
• Most importantly, it prevents the spread of dengue. The drawer is enclosed in the Plantplat and water that is collected will not be exposed to the outer surroundings, therefore isolating the water from any chance of becoming a breeding place for Aedes mosquitos. This will surely reduce the chance of dengue fever in neighbourhoods and typical households.

Improvements that may need to be made

• Plantplat’s main material is plastic because of its durability and convenience, but it is not eco-friendly. Our group hope to benefit the environment; henceforth we hope that we can reduce the amount of non-biodegradable materials in our product.
• Plantplat may occupy some space, in order to create a firm base to support the plant, but we hope to alter a little of the size if it is possible and safe.

Conclusion

Our idea for the product Plantplat have not been shaped; it is still in its raw form and we hope you as a mentor can assist us and provide us with suggestions that can help improve our project. With your assistance, we are certain that our idea can be improved on, just like a diamond being polished. We hope your assistance can benefit not only our group but also the environment and society. We will constantly look out for more problems faced in keeping plants in households, so that we can consider improvements and add-ons that can be incorporated in our product. We sincerely seek your permission to be our project mentor and assist us in future needs.

Contact 
Information

Name	Class&Index	Contact Number
Akria Makino	2I101	90913569
Khor Hao Yu	2I208	83683623
Gary Lim Yan Peng	2I211	93594560
Zhao Bo Ning	2I224	98568849