Design Challenge - September 2011

Alberto Seco Design

Crustaceans (members of the class “Crustacea” within the phylum “Arthropoda”) are invertebrate, mainly aquatic animals, which breathe using gills or through the general surface of the body, so...could there be any link between an aquatic living organism and a combine harvester or did I watch too many episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants with my daughter?

The typical crustacean has a body covered with a hard shell or exoskeleton (from the Latin crustaceus, meaning "to have a shell or rind"). The head and thorax are usually fused. Also typical is the segmented body form. Although crustacean life-styles are diverse, many of them are filter-feeders, extracting food from the water in which they live by forcing a constant flow of it through their bodies. Thus these crustaceans biology could be a metaphor for the main function of a combine and these characteristics are interesting to create a new formal language with new functions applied on a combine.

Like on a crustacean, each series of the body segments would perform specialized functions. The cephalothorax, consisting of the head and thorax, bears all of the limbs used in the detection and capture of prey, sensory perception, locomotion, breathing and food extraction. All these functions would be carried out by the pincers/header, the cab and the middle body section of the Crustacean Concept Combine.

A pair of pincers would accommodate the autoguidance and autotilting systems, thus they would provide a more accurate control of the header. They would involve improved handling of the header while mounting/ dismounting different headers. Besides they would allow avoiding obstacles by tilting it up or down when moving from one site to another one or accessing to a working area. These pincers would also work linked to the levelling system of the entire combine body when working on slopes. Thus the crustacean-like soft movement would be provided by an independent wheel position system which turns the CCC into a full hillside machine.

The design of the tyres with long suspended treads is inspired on the thoracic limbs. The longitudinal treads on the central area would provide an improved side grip while combining on slopes and the suspended tread concept would offer a more cushioned movement.

Instead of increasing the capacity of the grain tanks by means of vertical extensions, the main body of the CCC would open towards both sides by hinging the thorax panels in a way inspired by the crustaceans breathing.

While mirrors are intended to have an organic shape (based on antennas), the lighting package consisting of spherical working lights are inspired in crustacean eyes.

Other details designed to add a “bio” aspect are the mouth-like appendages which house the headlamps around the cab, the dual ladders which wrap the front wheels, the spherical bumps on the body or the rear tail lights.

The abdomen of the Crustacean Concept Combine would contain the last stage of the grain cleaning process, the straw chopper and the chaff spreader. The first segment of this area would tilt around the imaginary axle of the rear wheels, wrapping around the second segment in order to provide access to the engine and fuel tank.

A central curved antenna-like tube would provide a truly flexible grain unloading around the combine, wherever the tandem tractor/ trailer is located (at the front, rear or at both sides of the machine). Besides this 360º movement, the unloading tube would swing vertically in order to offer a closer unloading of the grain on the base of the trailer and a dust reduction. This height reduction would be possible thanks to the curved shape, ideal to avoid the height of the trailer side body.

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CONTACT DETAILS

Email: albsec@euskalnet.net

Website: www.behance.net/albertoseco

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