AYVOC
Clean. Smart. Sustainable.
PROJECT TYPE
Personal
ROLE
Tinkerer
DURATION
3 months
Inspiration
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Ayvoc was designed in the fall of 2018 after two to three consecutive days of celebrations in Calcutta when public commuting became a nightmare because the thousands visiting the city left trash everywhere- busses, trains, Ubers. This opened my eyes to a segment that we in India had been ignoring. This issue that was magnified during celebrations nevertheless existed, and there was a definite need for efficient waste management on the go.
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Moreover, with the world moving towards shared mobility and sustainable practises, commuters and busy individuals, in general, need a viable way to be more aware of the waste they generate and dispose off, both in and outside their homes.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt the need for a "Smart" bin, not only for public transport but for communities, workspaces and even households.
Why SMART?
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I needed to get people's attention without wasting their time as they disposed of waste.
This meant the bin would have to quietly incorporate into people' lives, everywhere.
It would have to take the responsibility of conditioning people's waste disposal behaviours without making it difficult or requiring conscious effort.
Target Market
Young people who spent a lot of time commuting between home, work, parties, conferences.
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Shared mobility users.
Anyone who wants to be more waste conscious but its too difficult to incorporate it in their daily lives.
Voice of Customer
I proposed the idea of a carry on bin that would monitor waste generating habits, fit in bags, sit in cup-holders, on any ledge or even give kitchen bins a run for their money. I spoke to around 16 individuals between the ages of 19 to 44.
This is the range of comments and concerns that were raised.
"I hope it leaves space for my Starbucks cup
How do I clean it out. Does it leak?
Will I HAVE TO GIVE UP CUP HOLDER SPACE FOR IT?
Can I carry it in my bag? Mine has far too much trash in it
"I don't want to lose leg space"
"I don't care enough to buy a smart bin.
"It is hard to imagine a trash can my car"
Almost all the feedback I recieved was kept in mind when deciding the key features and design
Key Features
Generates very useful information
Not too complicated to use
We wanted to rely on human intelligence for segregation while the weighing, the alerts and the tracking would be the system's responsibility.
Super (SUPER ) AESTHETIC
Different sizes available to fit in cars and on desks and in homes and community spaces
Modular
Big enough to fit major waste in. Also to replace household trash cans.
Can be used to set personal sustainability goals
Municipalities can use the data to track waste generating habits of societies.
Small circles of societies can encourage each other to become more sustainable
Design Process
I started with taking car space measurements since initially the bin was meant for Ubers and Busses
It took a while to get an idea of what the final product should look like to meet all size and shape requirements.
And I sketched out a few forms and attachment options before finalising on the half-capsule shape.
I finalised on the half capsule because not only did it seem like it could look great, it would also provide maximum leg space in cars and two half capsules could be joined together such that each capsule could be dedicated for a particular waste type.
Versatile Attachments
Two half capsules held together by magnets embedded on their back walls
Flushed hinge for ledges
Two full capsule can also join and sit in your cup holder
Embedded magnet coins
A magnetic table top stand
Sensor Placements
Product Sketches
3D Model
Made on Fusion 360
3D Printed Prototype
FDM using PLA
Back Wall
Magnet For Flushed Attachment to Another Capsule
Hinge for Legde Attachment
Ayvoc's Opening Flap
Ayvoc's Lid
Front Shell
Groove for Table Top Attachment
Electronic Components
Arduino
IR Sensor
Node MCU
HX-711 Load Cell Amplifier
Load Cell
Electronic System Design
Working and Flow of Information
The idea here is:
Proximity Sensor
Interpret data to give meaningful suggestions
Help end user set personal and community goals
Interpret data to give meaningful suggestions
Load Cell
Above :Proximity Sensor Placement
Below : Circuit made on Fritzing
Left: Only one LED on to indicate Ayvoc still has space for more trash
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Right: Second LED lights up to indicate Ayvoc is full and needs to be emptied
LED visually communicates that the Ayvoc is full
The sensor or the Arduino sends data to the Node MCU
The NodeMCU sends data to ThingSpeak for visual Representation
The server sends information and graphs generated to the AyvocApp
User Interface : AyvocApp
"Time to empty your Ayvoc"
"Learn how you can reduce further!"
"Your community has generated only y kgs of waste this week"
"You generated x volume of waste this week"
"Congratulations! We see progress- you've generated 0.5x less waste this week"
"Prediction: The municipality will come to collect the waste in n days"
User Interface : AyvocApp
And generated the Weight vs Time graph to display for the end user
Analysed by ThingSpeak
Data pulled to NodeMCU
Above: Load cell- Amplifier- NodeMCU Connection
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Below: Circuit Diagram made on Fritzing
Load Cell Placement on Ayvoc's Proto*
*Here I realised I had forgotten to design stands to place the load cell on. I factored this in my next design.
Final Product
Avyoc was rendered in different materials and sizes to show how it could blend in different environments and suit differentpurposes
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