Sembradadoras de Vida

Hands-free
lettuce washing
Representative image for lettuce farm
of the challenge
efficiency and
hand health
1. Co-creation principles
 ● coming together around a shared vision

● care, empathy, and good listening

● equal collaboration

Co-creation ● evidence-based iteration

values
● self-sustainability

● transparency
2. Challenge/Opportunity
Framing
 The Sembradoras de Vida community washes
hundreds of heads of lettuce by hand with cold water,
which causes debilitating hand pain. We seek to
redesign their washing process such that the
community can meet customer expectations and profit
from lettuce farming without pain and using only
sustainable, available, and low-cost resources.
Problem framing
statement
 Lots of
exposure to
the water

Problem wheel Only 2

people
willing to
Requires
much
wash time &
Lettuce is labor to
- dirty/full of wash
The bugs
Sembradadoras de
Vida community
Young prefer experiences pain
other work in Hard work Lettuce is
from washing Lettuce needs
the city fragile
lettuce. to be washed
Littl by hand (no
e
pow bargaini se cold losing leaves,
er w
/ ng U
cust st ream no gloves)
ome
r water
Mus
t
lettu deliver
ce ac
to cu cord
s ing
stan tomer Hand pain
dard
s
 Variable Information

Current Water
source
Fresh mountain spring water, cold

practice Current
equipment
Buckets, water, hoses, other common hardware goods/
mechanical & electrical tools available in nearby town

Access to Electricity is affordable

services

Solutions Gloves
attempted

Number of ~800, takes all day long

heads
washed/day
4. Stakeholder Analysis
 ● Restaurant buyer and customers
● Transportation workers
● Collaborators and collective members
● Community members and youth
● Collective families
● Community leaders
● Other potential customers
● Other producers of lettuce or similar crops requiring
Stakeholder washing
● Government and regulators
identification ● Input suppliers
● Agricultural interests
 Stakeholders Interests in project Effect of project on Importance of Degree of influence
(Size of group) interests stakeholder for success 1: little/ no influence
- negative 1: little/ no importance 2: moderate influence
+ positive 2: moderate importance 3: very influential
0 neutral 3: very important

Customer buys lettuce, set + 2 3

requirement for
cleanliness and
whole lettuce head

Delivery people no direct interest 0 1 1

Collective members seeking healthier ++++ 3 3

working conditions
+ less laborious
process

Government/ cleanliness + 1 2

Stakeholder ministry of
agriculture/
chemical regulators
requirements +
organic growing
standards

analysis etc

Input suppliers- i.e. want to have 0 1 1

seedling supplier businesses to sell to

Other producers of possible knowledge + 2 1

lettuce or similar sharing? could
crops requiring benefit from these
washing improvements
5. Experiments
Experiment #1

Use different types, lengths, and thicknesses of gloves

Experiment #1
 Findings and results

● Waterproof silicone gloves protect the hands from

Experiment #1 ●
cold
Interrupts work efficiency while cleaning the leaves
of lettuce one by one
● Still need to work same amount of time or more

Conclusions and impact or effect over the design process

● Temporary benefits but not a long-term solution

Experiment #2

Heat water using portable water heater

 Findings and results

● Takes a long time to heat the water

Experiment #2 ● Uses significant power
● Helps the prevent exposure to cold of the water and does
not affect the condition of lettuce
● Unsafe to contact water while heating

Conclusions and impact or effect over the design process

● Not a safe and efficient way to heat water

● Heating the water using another method may be a
complementary solution
Experiment #3

Air pump connected to submerged PVC pipe with holes drilled

into it
Experiment #3
Experiment #3
6. Final prototype
 A large rectangular plastic bin is used
to hold water for washing the lettuce.
“Jacuzzi para PVC pipes with holes drilled in them
line the bottom on the bin. An air
las lechugas” pump is connected to this PVC
network, so that pumped air comes out
through the holes in the pipes and
creates bubbles that agitate the water
in the bin. The movement of the water
created by the bubbles cleans the
lettuce. The farmers can place the
lettuce in the container and allow the
lettuce to be cleaned by the water
agitation, without having to have their
hands in the cold water and allowing
them to multi-task.
“Jacuzzi para
las lechugas”
“Jacuzzi para
las lechugas”
 7. Resources to
implement and transfer
 RESOURCE LOCATION LINK

Photo tutorial https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C4nqnprAh4FmNrga74Rt6cjwM8gO3z0g/view?usp=sharing

Written materials list, tools list, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VNlManUlscT3niz9dc8qMxXJWEEU24R0YlheJvD6JJE/edit?usp

and instructions =sharing
8. Team members
 Madison Eunah Kim
MIT
Reddie
MIT MechE South Korea - she/her
USA - she/her
Photo

Bella Liane Peng Paula Rivarola

MIT MIT
Carmelita
Student Team Carriker
USA - she/her Peru - she/her

MIT Architecture
USA - she/her

Estella
Sembradadoras de
Vida
Colombia - she/her
Facilitators
Photo of the
Facilitator

Alex Freese Nicolás Gaitán Albarracín

Colombia Colombia