Bio-Seed — Ecological Transition Capsule
A UAV-deployed bio-design seed capsule engineered to restore acidified eucalyptus plantation soil through gradual ecological transition. The spiral shell — fabricated via sodium alginate ionic crosslinking or gelatin-wood fibre composite — uncoils on contact with moisture, drilling its payload into the ground. Each capsule carries dolomite lime for pH correction (4.93 → 5.5+) and leguminous Cassia seeds that activate root-zone symbiotic bacteria to unlock phosphorus and rebuild soil ecology. Rather than replacing eucalyptus directly, the system reframes it as a transitional indicator, monitoring when degraded land is ready to shift from monoculture forestry toward diversified, sustainable cash crops.
BA Design Management FMP — LingChong Project
Fashion Design
2025
Process
Conducted UAV aerial surveys across four ecological zones (village core, forest edge, water bodies, transitional roads) with five waypoints capturing vertical ortho, oblique, low-altitude, and 360° panorama imagery. Collected soil samples for laboratory pH, nutrient, and organic matter analysis — confirming severe acidification at pH 4.93 across eucalyptus-dominated plots. Built a Cesium-based digital twin integrating IoT soil sensor data (pH, temperature, humidity) for real-time monitoring and spatial overlay.
Developed Bio-Seed through three design iterations: V1 concept validation, V2 material prototyping, and V3 performance refinement. Explored two bio-material systems — sodium alginate with CaCl₂ ionic crosslinking (rapid gel formation, good for principal demonstration) and gelatin + wood powder composite (hard-plastic-grade strength for actual soil drilling). Engineered anisotropic shell structure through fibre-aligned casting at 45° cut angle with Kapton constraint layer to produce differential swelling, generating spiral coiling force on moisture contact. Shell thickness controlled at 0.3–0.5mm for optimal drilling torque.
Integrated the capsule into a broader system architecture, including a companion farmer mobile app, Rokid AR glasses HUD for hands-free field data, UAV autonomous seeding via latitude-longitude grid calculation, and a digital twin dashboard for monitoring restoration progress.
