Don't plants need heat and UV exposure to grow properly? Could they get that from a LED?

This looks more like a fashion statement rather than an efficient design. The opening in the middle is nice, but it should be closed with a reflective door. Current REAL cultivation models are a closed box with reflective internal walls, and many internal floors, each one with their tiny LEDs. The cultivation density is bigger, have no moving parts, and you can set precisely the light period and humidity. With that moving wheel you can't. And one more thing, plants have gravitropism (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitropism). If they are spinned continuously, I don't know if they would grow their roots and stems well.

Not much really "new" here , there are already products on the market that do the same thing. Rotogro or volksgarden to name names.

I think "cachurro" said it best.. and I don't need to add anything more, except that if this WERE a good idea, pot growers would ALREADY have popularized it by now, and everybody would have known about it. .. er,, GIZMAG,, you have some great articles.. but here... FAIL!

cachurro. There are studies on industrial models to show that the stems grow stringer from the bending, and apparently it increases the growth rate....
Sure it would be a fashion statement...
One industrial model was using it as it allowed one short row of grow lights to satisfy pi*D linear metres of plant bed...
Doc Rock, I agree if it were really that good, we would have one on every block, in every Government housing Rental.... keeping the supply of all the happy herbs up to the neighbourhood.

Wouldn't be so quick to criticize. Placed in a window,it could receive additional light. For apartments it wouldn't take much space. Pot plants grow way too tall for such a device. Yes,the Italians do things with style but purpose along with. It's a prototype so will be interesting to see how it develops or not. Certainly not a Gizmag failure but another article on what's out there.

MD’s last statement I think rings through with me… “Happy Herbs” I mean what else could you possibly grow… this was initially designed for zero gravity where a fruit or vegetable bearing plant could just “Float” it’s growth mass around the ring effortlessly… rather fortunately… we have gravity here on earth so other than herbs… and even some of those I would question withstanding the constant up down side to side pull of this thing called GRAVITY…could you even grow… I can just hear the green tomatoes hitting the floor as they reach critical mass to be pulled from the plant from being constantly rising and falling as they rotate… and the perforated “vases” I am sure will not support plants that bear their “meat” below the surface like potatoes… not to Poo Poo on a cool looking device… but completely impractical for anything other than a gimmick herb garden… and who uses that many herbs… sheesh..

I think there is something wrong here, unless the Inventor wants to teach the plants some Yoga Postures. It seems that Gravitropism or not, this can only work for a very short while. Is it possible that the plants will grow towards a light, grow fruit and flowers hanging ! Or will the fruits ride the Ferris Wheel, defying gravity ?
I think the "pots" holding the plants should always be held upright as people in a giant Ferris Wheel.

@cachurro, I don't know anything about this product except for what they say here, and your information is completely valid, but my question is, would Gravitropism be caused by the spinning of the wheel?

For the most part, I'd have to agree with many of the comments here; especially those of GadgetGeek. Anything that grows fruits (and I'm including veggies here) would not work here. Can you imagine the thuds of the cucumbers, squash, zucchini, etc? No, probably not, because they'd die and fall off before they got heavy enough to thud.
This would be great for salads and most herbs, but for most edible plants, this simply wouldn't work.
I disagree with the comment that this article is a "fail" for Gizmag. If they don't bring this info to us, how can we create a discourse on it? It needs to be discussed. I'm using a different hydroponic system called a "living tower" (although I think it's also called something else too) and it's pretty amazing. Tiny footprint, fast growth, organic, etc. etc. I do believe that we should keep trying to push the envelope for hydroponic food growing, and things like this keep the development and improvements going.