Year 7 Product Design

Biomimicry Design Challenge - 'Hack The Cac'

During National Design and Technologies week 7L participated in a Biomimicry-based Design Challenge hosted by the Royal Botanic Gardens. Students from NHS joined hundreds of others from all over Australia. Students participated in a virtual workshop to learn about what Biomimicry is (the process of nature inspiring design solutions) and to explore the Cactus as their nature model. Groups were then encouraged to design a solution to a current problem using the features and functions of three species of Cacti to inspire them. The creativity and lateral thinking demonstrated by the students was extraordinary. We had a large variety of design solutions from an Oil Spill Cleanup Float inspired by the root system of the Cardon Grande, to an Expanding Sponge that collects excess tap water inspired by the Golden Barrel Cactus. All the students enjoyed the experience and certainly flexed their Design Thinking muscles.

“Hack the cac” was a great experience that really tested our capability to think creatively and cleverly. We came up with an idea to redo car suspension making it safer and more effective with reduced materials. It was inspired by the golden barrel cactus (the cac in the hack the cac meaning cactus). We thoroughly enjoyed it and we hope everyone else did too.

Jack Burmeister, 7L

To check out the incredible creativity of our young people please visit the Hack The Cac Challenge Submissions page. Here you can find all of the Design Solutions submitted: https://padlet.com/royalbotanicgardenslearning/fu6oa1citqzuemzi

A huge thanks to DATTA Vic and the Royal Botanic Gardens for making this event happen.

Lauren Jacobs and 7L Product Design