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Rotofarm gets home growers in a slow spin

Rotofarm gets home growers in a slow spin
Indoor growers can look forward to year-round veggies, herbs and microgreens
Indoor growers can look forward to year-round veggies, herbs and microgreens
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Bace says that the Rotofarm system was inspired by NASA zero gravity growing technology
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Bace says that the Rotofarm system was inspired by NASA zero gravity growing technology
A boosted spectrum in the middle gives growing greens something to aim for
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A boosted spectrum in the middle gives growing greens something to aim for
The Rotofarm can be monitored and controlled using an app running on a smartphone
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The Rotofarm can be monitored and controlled using an app running on a smartphone
The hardest work is the harvesting
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The hardest work is the harvesting
Indoor growers can look forward to year-round veggies, herbs and microgreens
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Indoor growers can look forward to year-round veggies, herbs and microgreens
Pre-seeded pods are placed around the inside of the housing
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Pre-seeded pods are placed around the inside of the housing
Water and nutrient levels can be monitored via a smartphone app, and topped up when needed
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Water and nutrient levels can be monitored via a smartphone app, and topped up when needed
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Growing your own veggies doesn't necessarily mean getting your hands dirty. We've seen a number of indoor gardening devices over the years, the most recent being from LG. Melbourne biotech startup Bace has launched its take on year-round growing with the Rotofarm.

The Rotofarm concept actually appeared online last year, with plans to take the project to Kickstarter announced in Dezeen. But Bace has opted to launch on Indiegogo to fund production instead.

The device has the look of a large table lamp merged with a Dyson blade-free fan, and is said to cram over 5 ft (1.58 m) of growing surface into its circular frame.

Pre-seeded pods are placed around the inside of the housing
Pre-seeded pods are placed around the inside of the housing

Like the similar-looking OGarden Smart, pre-seeded pods are slotted into the underside of the housing. The use fills the tank with water and plant feed, plugs the Rotofarm into the mains and the housing slowly rotates around a built-in boosted spectrum LED lighting tube – completing a full circle every hour. Available seed pods include lettuce, kale, wheatgrass, mint, chives, edible flowers and more.

Indoor growers can monitor and control the setup via an app running on a smartphone, where they can set faux sunrise and sunset times, view water and nutrient levels and order more supplies (though users can also opt to pay a monthly subscription for seed pods and nutrient concentrate optimized for use with the system). And if you're a little bothered by that LED shining bright, there's an optional acrylic cover which tone things down for comfort.

The hardest work is the harvesting
The hardest work is the harvesting

Bace reports that the system uses 95 percent less water than if the crops were grown in soil, and reckons that kitchen growers need only spend around 5 minutes per week tending to their year-round crops of veggies, herbs and microgreens, the device takes care of everything else automatically.

The Rotofarm project has been successfully funded on Indiegogo with 22 days remaining on the clock, as of writing. Pledges start at AUD 742 (about US$440) and, if all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in October. The video below has more.

Rotofarm on Indiegogo

Source: Bace

View gallery - 7 images
3 comments
3 comments
Mike Malsed
looks like it came from the Rosiante from Expanse. They have something like that - very cool!
Jose Gros-Aymerich
Good Idea a certain grade of food self-sufficiency!
When Ralph Nader, 'consumerist', who destroyed the Chevrolet Corvair when GM had already taken the decission of discontinuing it, what a pity, it had one of the engines closer to perfection ever built, was in long term unemployement, he was able to continue living thanks to the vegetables grown in his house backyard. Salut +
Douglas Rogers
You could put models into it and call it a model O'neil cylinder!