GMU:Synthetic Biology/ko ko ro mo

MY PROJEKT

Ko*ko*ro*mo

FIRST PITCH IN

So! My little project idea collection:

The name of my project is Ko*ko*ro*mo!

Kokoromo is a composition made of the two words...

...(jap.) kokoro

"Originally, kokoro referred to the beat of the heart, which was considered to be the essential organ of life and the source of all activities. By extension, kokoro refers to all human activities affecting the outside world through intention, emotion, and intellect."

...and the first two letters of the word moss ^^

The name should reflect a new kind of lifing. Combining both body and soul experiences through working/contact with genetic engineered natural products.

Kokoromo is...a new species of moss genetically engineered by using 4 different kinds of natural occuring mosses:

Pleurozia purpurea - eating small creatures and bacteria

‎ Grimmia pulvinata - living in cities on cement and concrete

Sagina subulata - crush resistant and temperatur insensitiv

Tortula ruralis - survives dry periods over long time

I thought it would be nice to use Kokoroma mostly inside of the house. On walls or floors, as carpets and wallpapers.

Because of their genes they should have the ability to...

--> create a comfortable indoor clima by regulation air moisture

--> keep your house and yourself clean by eating up 
    harmful fungi, bacteria, mite excrements, cornestible leftovers and dust

--> keep your house dry by absorbing high amounts of spare water 
    (help by floods, stuctural damage or in territories with high air moisture)

--> insulate housewalls from the outside and inside to keep houses warm

--> exude light scents to refresh your home

--> decorate and vegetate your home for a cozy green lifing style

--> avoid allergic reactions by not producing any polls/spors

Mainly Kokoromo should be used when you have problems in your flat or house because of high moisture and fungi cultivation. Kokoromo should help to provied health risks like allergic reactions (e.g. asthma, neurodemitis) occure through fungi.

WHERE TO USE...

as carpets e.g. under your dining table

in your garbage can to absorb leftover food particles

as towels e.g. in your kitchen and in bath room

as insulate material for your house walls from the outside/inside

as wall decoration and as replacement for tilings, wallpapers, plaster

--> as doormats 
    e.g. in your hallways and at entrance
    to clean up your shoes and feet

HOW YOU CAN SAVE money, electricity, water etc.

--> by not using a vacuum cleaner anymore,
    because your moss absorbes dirt and bacteria

--> by not washing any towels,
    because your moss towel replacement and absorbes water

--> by not actuate your radiator on a high level,
    because your moss insulates the warmth in winter

--> by not need expensive house drying and repairing arrengments,
    because your moss drys your house if needed

So and now...the important part^^

HOW TO USE Kokoromo...

a) Kokoromo is delivered in a bag filled with a spore-powder.
   (like a sponge or powderpuff)
   The spores can be attached by tapping the puff  and releasing the       
   powder against the walls/floors, prepaired with a special furtilizer glue. 
   And after that you can irrigate with a watersponge.
   Problem: A lot of different stuff is needed,
            which will may be cause a higher price.

b) Kokoromo is delivered in spraybottle filled with a liquid futilizer and  
   the moss spores swimming in it.
   The liquid can be sprayed on the walls directly without using glue.
   Through the furtilizer you don't need any water.
   While growing the spores attach themselfs with the tiny pores of the wall   
   material through their roots.
   Problem: You can hardly attach the spores to poreless material like glass.
            And you would need special techniques to remove the moss from
            the materials when you like to leave the flat.
            That causes time and money.
            

c) Kokoromo is delivered as a spraybottle and with a textile membran.
   The membran can be clutched with wires and hooks, where ever you need it.
   After attaching, the membran can be soaked with the spore-furtilizer- 
   solution. So the moss do not directly grow on the walls.
   Problem: You need extra material like membrans, wires and hooks.
            Causes much more costs.
            You need to glue or fix the hooks in your walls/floors,
            so there will be wholes left if you want to dispose the moss.
            And it wouldn't take the moisture direct out of the walls,
            if is needed.

d) Kokoromo is delivered as a convenience product in form of a moss mat.
   The moss mat can be ordered at the lab's in the size and form you like,
   and after that the moss will be grown for you.
   If your moss is delivered you decide wether you want to attach 
   it on your walls by yourself or by special service,
   with special hooks, frames or with furtilizer glue.
   
   Problem: The special attachment systems and the growing in the labs,
            will lead to special costs.
            
   

FAQ for Kokoromo

1) What should I do, if I want to move to another house/flat?

2) Does Kokoromo grow? And if YES, do I need to cut it?

3) Can Kokoromo dry out? What should I do when I go on holidays?

4) Can it repair itself, when Kokoromo has no spores?

5) How I need to irrigate my moss?

Yeah at first ....thats it. Please feel free to discuss with me. I am not really sure about some stuff, especially the 'HOW TO USE'.

So please write, write, write!

--Wawa 23:07, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

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Linklist

I will put here some nice links to homepages about moss! Please feel free to add and suggest new stuff, if you found something.

Ahhhh and I just found out, the science of mosses is called 'bryology'! So check it out ^^

Local moss species

(engl.)introduction and overview

(engl.)scriptarchive by University of Bonn

(engl.)database and botanical collection by University of Michigan

(ger./engl.)picture collection of mosses

(engl.)international association of bryology

--Wawa 16:50, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

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Hey Fellows, here comes my project for synbio!

After my small excursion to the world of plankton and algae, I now at last decided to return to my first project idea: the moss! for indoor vegetation!

Because as I red, moss is after all very closely related to the green algae *also called chlorophyceae* wich is living in fresh water.

So it really suggested itself to me by overlapping the two topics.

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DROP IT in the DROPBOX!

To give you an overview on my previous work, I put my two .pdf on dropbox so you can download them whenever you like.

But you can put your own synbio stuff up also.

I hope everyone got the dropbox mail from me? Because I think you need to register with your E-Mailaccount on the mail-distributionlist from synbio.

Please give short response, if it is working or not. Thanx :D

--Wawa 16:50, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

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Response

Hello Vanessa, one issue you should also consider is time. As biological processes are usually not that fast, especially with plants, to grow, but also to process, all the different applications you want to confront them with. And by the way: You did a good job on setting up your wiki page. Way to go! And put up some of your illustrations.
--sebastian 13:32, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

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Hi, Vanessa. Thank you for the comment of my project.You can check my response on my page. My Flower
And I got the mail from dropbox.

I really like your idea to take plant as one functional part of our house.
But I still have 2 questions:
Out of their natural growing environment, if the Kokoromo can get enough energy supply at our homes?
And will it also be a residence of bacterias?

About how to apply it to our home.I like the second idea better.I think you can make the liquid fertilizer gel like, so they can be pull off the wall later, like some masks. I don't think there is problem with glass. Because I don't think people will cover their window with some unmovable stuff. But if you really want to apply it to smooth surface, I think people can spry something to the surface, after drying, it will be rough, which is good to grow kokkoromo.
Also, I think maybe you can make Kokoromo wall paper, which is convenience to use or remove. But it may need help form wall paper worker.

FAQ:

• What should I do, if I want to move to another house/flat?

 In some case, you can move the Kokoromo along with you, if you need.But it
 Depends on how you applied it. In other case, the Kokoromo company can recycle 
 them for you.

• Can it repair itself, when Kokoromo has no spores?

 There is supplement of spores. You can use it over the existed area of 
 Kokoromo if needed. 

• How I need to irrigate my moss?

 Depends on the humidity and temperature of your living area, you may need to 
 irrigate your Kokoromo somehow. 
       
  

That's what I thought about your Project!I think it's already quite good!
And I like its name~

--Yu Xiaorui 12:32, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

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Don't know whether to post this or not, but there were some things flashing through my head. Like it or delete it :)

• Moss Wall
• Moss Graffiti
• Moss Carpet

--Sebastian (W.) 20:47, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Nice links, Sebastian! You could also add them to our Bioart linklist. Oops, I just did :)
--sebastian 13:19, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

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