Tree harvesting invention winner of Dyson Award
Current harvesting methods require return visits to a forest, causing soil erosion and damage to surrounding trees. Nick Ross, an industrial design graduate from Massey University, has devised a solution that cuts trees right from ground level, and feeds them straight into the machine. An extraction process is then engaged to return needles back to the soil for nutrients, while the branches gathered in a separate container can be re-used as an alternative energy fuel. The judges were unanimous in their decision. David Lovegrove, member of the Designers Institute and the award’s head judge added: ““This design is the best research project we’ve seen from the New Zealand entries because Nick has not only produced a beautiful, well resolved design, but he has gone a step further and widely engaged with the international forestry industry”. “He didn’t set out to design a tree harvester. He approached the design with the simple question, how do you grow trees better? So we were encouraged to see sustainability was a core motivation in the product’s development, and during the design process,” said David. Nick will travel to the UK with $3,000 traveling expenses and accommodation courtesy of British Council New Zealand, and meet with other key members of the UK design community. Plus, he can select an official fee prize package from the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) tailored to his design’s intellectual property needs, receive $3,000 worth of legal advice from Farry.Co Law, a Dyson handheld cleaner and a year’s membership to the Designer’s Institute. Axolotyl will progress to compete against designs from the 18 other participating countries in the James Dyson Award. The international winner will be selected by James Dyson and announced on 8th November 2012. All entries can be viewed on www.jamesdysonaward.org | |||
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