Urbanites who say they don’t have the time or the space to grow their own food may be running out of excuses—and all thanks to NASA. Using technology developed by the space agency for astronauts in flight, the Italian studio DesignLibero has built a sleek new device to help you grow your own greens.
DesignLibero’s Green Wheel is small, but its rotary design squeezes a lot of growing area into a tight space. No natural lighting is needed—plants grow in a circle around a light source in the center of the wheel, which DesignLibero says maximizes efficiency. An internal engine rotates the plants and controls the pump and water reservoir, which automatically irrigate the plants. Despite its sophisticated machinery, The Green Wheel doesn’t sacrifice aesthetics. Think of it as the pocket farm for the design minded.
Too time crunched to tend to your crops? DesignLibero is developing smartphone and tablet apps for remote gardening, allowing you to adjust lighting and water levels, wherever you are.
We’ve covered some more DIY solutions to indoor gardening and ambitious rooftop urban gardening initiatives, but we’re excited to test out the Green Wheel. DesignLibero doesn’t seem to be selling the Green Wheel yet, so we’ll have to wait and see if it delivers its promises, but for busy city dwellers looking to develop a green thumb, this just might be a solution.
Image courtesy of DesignLibero.
