FRUITPICKER
Rescuing inaccessible fruits made easy
Every year, Earth experiences more extreme changes. Our desire to produce more and more is making our lives dependent on global resources, which is not sustainable. We need to create a circular lifestyle where we are more in tune with our environment, for example by celebrating the seasons and enjoying food that is only available at certain times of the year.
I moved in August 2022. I had a beautiful view with trees, including an apple tree. As it is allowed to pick fruit from public places in Sweden, I decided to pick apples from this tree. I stood under the tree and realised that the apples were not as easy to reach as I thought. I shook a few branches, but I didn’t get much. I looked for other fruit trees but realised that there were lots of apples on the ground and the best apples were out of reach.
Lund, Sweden has 394 edible fruits, herbs, nuts and berries, including 220 fruit trees. In autumn, most of the trees are still filled with fruit. They are not harvested completely since it is impossible to reach the higher fruits. Only a few people have the tools to reach the higher fruits, but they don’t always carry the tools.
The goal of this project is, to provide the public with a tool that will make it easier for them to access fruit from trees.
The first test model out of a milk carton, a coat hook, a stick from my mop and a bag. Various tests showed me that the best way to pick fruit is with a stick with a hook. It‘s more versatile and a narrow tool to get through all the branches. The stick itself has to be quite long to reach the higher fruits, to be able to transport a long stick, I tried ways to disassemble the stick.
Many sketches and ideas were developed, but the most effective method was to build models and test them.
The finished prototype can be divided into two parts. To divide the stick into two parts, it is necessary to push up the metal part in the middle of the stick, after which it is possible to unscrew the two parts. The wood is tapered, this allows the metal part to stop at the point where the stick is divided and also reduces the weight of the fruitpicker. The metal gives more stability at this point and prevents unscrewing.
The goal of this project was to make rescuing food easy for everyone. This fruitpicker is designed to be accessible to the public and stands next to the fruit tree. It can be divided into two parts, making it easy to transport to various locations where fruit trees can be found. The wood is tapered, making the tool more lightweight and the metal part in the middle protects the area where the sick can be divided. All parts can be replaced, including the upper part and the wooden sticks.
MA 1st Year | Sustainability Project
