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PHealthy t1_ixd6efp wrote

Zero maintenance sounds like an over sell, is it truly zero?

Isn't this concept basically the same idea as those ridiculously over-priced aerogardens?

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ATPSpaceFood t1_ixdlaqd wrote

Can confirm that it’s 0 daily maintenance. Time sinks after assembly would be resetting the system and harvest. A system reset takes ~40 minutes with makeshift tools, and a full harvest takes 2.5 hours with me documenting, weighing, photographing, and beginning to prepare samples for testing as I harvest. Cooking time would be the same as beforehand.

Our calorie production per square foot can be higher than with aerogardens because of the emphasis on the substrate. The units are also quite light (even when the substrate is fully saturated), can be re-arranged to fit within a set area, pack up and fold out easily, have in built filters to keep things safe and fresh, and can provide a nice balance of macros and micronutrients. It’s definitely more advanced than aeroponic systems with (as mentioned before) quite a reasonable price tag for the value. This is not priced as much as many of the other space food production systems.

I'm not quite sure what part of the aerogardens you're wondering whether we align with, but feel free to ask further questions if I haven't answered your question!

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LeJoker t1_ixeov1k wrote

What would cause the need for a system reset? Do you anticipate this needing to be done on any sort of regular basis? If so, how often?

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ATPSpaceFood t1_ixezeb6 wrote

To clarify, system reset refers to planting the system again. The trigger is that the user wants more food!

It's not easy to say how often this would need to be done, as it depends on the program being run, though the absolute shortest program that it can run is 35 days. Right now, we're running 35 day cycles, so we reset every 35-40 days. Resets could occur as far apart from each other as 120+ days; it all depends on what the user wants out of it. We reset our first prototype after 3-4 months; I can't remember the exact number of days right off the top of my head.

Note that we say that daily maintenance is 0. Expecting to never interact with the device isn't realistic, and it's definitely not something that we're claiming. However...to defend our 40 minute replanting time, resetting the system takes less time per 35 days than I spend shopping for food per week!

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