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Student Designer
University Product Description and Principal Function(s) Ravi is a portable solar generator for small electronics appliances. Ravi is a Hindu name meaning benevolent sun god, appropriate as Ravi’s goal is to help lower greenhouse gas emissions through generating renewable energy and to encourage a lifestyle change to help the reduction of green house gases seem achievable for the average person.Ravi is based on the concept of a flower, appearing closed to begin with. Once you open the ‘petals’ out, solar panels are revealed on the inside of them. Ravi toys with several emotional triggers of interaction from ‘growing energy’ to ‘picking a flower’. Why does the product represent design excellence and why do you believe it deserves an Australian Design Award? Small things do make a difference and they do add up. A single mobile phone only produces 1.72 kg of carbon emission per year. Not much in the scheme of thing’s but looking at the amount of mobile phone users globally (over 2 billion) results in 3.44 billion kilograms of carbon emissions caused by mobile phones alone each year. This is an overwhelming figure. However when you take it back to the end user, a measly 1.72 kilograms, and considering the small amount of energy required to power this device (2.5 kW per year) it does not beckon the question how can we power products like these using green (renewable) energy? The real question is why aren’t we?Think of the concept of putting a bucket of water in a shower as a comparative concept. It does not solve the grey water wastage issue, yet it is simple enough for anyone to implement. The intention is the same for Ravi. People do not solar panel their house due to the cost and logistics of it, yet for a person to put a small solar generator in their garden, to power portable electronics is achievable enough for the everyday person. Solar panel generators are readily available in the most basic of forms and applications. I believe the reason for this is that the emotional connection is not resonating with the public. Even though awareness of global warming issues are at an all time high, and people are willing to make a change, consumers need more than just a primitive answer to a problem. Ravi intends to toy with the emotional aspect of the product to attract users to interact with it in a way they previously would not if it was just a square solar panel in their garden. The emotional analogies of growing energy with Ravi translate to a sense of worth with the user Ravi can enrich lives by knowing in a small way that through the simple use of a product, the user has helped contribute to the quality of life for future generations. As the sun comes up Ravi begins its day. The user places Ravi in their garden and opens the ‘petals’ to reveal the solar panels. During the day, Ravi collects energy from the sun and stores it in an internal battery. Once the battery is fully charged, the ‘petals’ then and omit a glow to signify they are charged and ready to use. The sun has gone down and the user walks out to their garden to be greeted with a beautiful glowing flower at night. The user can then remove the charge pack from Ravi much like picking a flower but now picking stored energy, and can charge their small electronics from the charge pack. The next day the user can place the charge back into Ravi to ‘grow’ another days worth of energy. An intense 8 months of rigours research, development and refinement has resulted in a working prototype of Ravi. |
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