Grow plants in a modern Hydrosphere+

Guess what it is. A fish bowl? A salad mixer? A lamp? The HydroSphere borrows a bit of all this. The design created by Kleber Puchaski, a graduate student from the London Royal College of Art at St-Martins, made it to the finals of the Electrolux Design Labs 2006. The contest criteria was to invent household appliances that could contribute to a healthier life style.

The Hydrosphere is a transparent, clear sphere, 42 centimeters high that enables consumers to grow their own herbs, small fruits and vegetables in their kitchen. Powered by a solar panel, this concept is self-sustaining, taking its energy directly from nature and transferring this to the internal light system. A central growth lamp automatically sets the right temperature and light levels to encourage active and healthy results.

Plants get their ‘food’ from the small floating bubbles. The concept is very enjoyable, and at a certain level, could be generalized to bigger plant, by substituting the floating sphere by a bigger disc of fertilizer soil. (via moco loco)