Paper OMNI

a new take on sustainable ocean data gathering

DLX Design Lab, The University of Tokyo, 4 week individual project

Challenge

Create an OMNI float from paper that is capable of floating for at least 72 hours in non-salt water.

My Role

Product designer, researcher

Skills

materials ideation and research
rapid prototyping
origami
papier-mâché

About OMNI

DLX Design Lab’s OMNI (Ocean Monitoring Network Initiative) is a low cost, open source, mass deployable ocean monitoring device. With an increasing need to solve world issues such as climate change, the ocean may carry information that can help us, yet we probably know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean. Therefore OMNI strives to gather diverse data about the ocean and make it available to all.

See more about the DLX Design Lab and OMNI here!

The Problem

Many ocean monitoring devices today eventually end up as trash in the ocean, since retrieval is often difficult. Although a certain amount of non-biodegradable components are necessary to create the OMNI, there are certain parts that we can change in order to reduce the overall footprint of OMNI. In particular, the main component of the current OMNI is made of polyurethane foam, which is one of the biggest pollutants of the ocean. The Paper OMNI challenge attempts to broaden thinking around float bodies and shows that creating a more environmentally friendly float body is not only doable, but can be extremely cost effective.

See the full report here!

Ideation

The biggest challenge in this project was “waterproofing” the paper. Early on I worked with others in my lab to brainstorm ideas, and we decided that a paper mache structure that is retroactively “waterproofed” was the best option. After doing a lot of research and material and testing, I took inspiration from traditional Japanese techniques and decided to create a two piece float consisting of an origami torus for structure with newspaper paper mache coating and a rolled newspaper basket, all coated in a Japanese natural dye called kakishibu (fermented unripe persimmon juice known to have water resistant properties).

The idea board for this project. A lot of research went into both the structure and material choices. Since this was an internship abroad in Japan, I tried to find materials and processes. specific to Japan.

The final idea: an origami torus (basically a donut) would give structure for the flotation part, then covered in newspaper paper mache and coated in kakishibu. A rolled newspaper basket would hold the electronics. — The final idea: an origami torus (basically a donut) would give structure for the flotation part, then covered in newspaper paper mache and coated in *kakishibu*. A rolled newspaper basket would hold the electronics.

Material testing — from left to right: control, kakishibu, beeswax, surf wax. While all options were fairly waterproof, I decided on the kakishibu for maximum biodegradability. — Material testing — from left to right: control, *kakishibu*, beeswax, surf wax. While all options were fairly waterproof, I decided on the *kakishibu* for maximum biodegradability.

Creation

Using the existing OMNI hardware box and sensor pole as a base, I created the Paper OMNI. My biggest obstacle in the creation of the float was waiting for it to dry - summertime in Japan is very hot and humid, and as a result the paper mache and kakishibu took a very long time for each coat to dry. But after four days of building, the final Paper OMNI was finished and ready to test.

Testing

After letting the Paper OMNI dry completely, I put the OMNI hardware box and sensor pole into the float and placed it into a glass aquarium in the lab. I set up cameras so that I could see the progress of the float absorbing water, and left it for a total of five days.

Results

I left the Paper OMNI in the water for a total of 4 days. In that time, it sank considerably but stayed afloat until I attempted to take it out of the water. Disturbing it caused it to fall apart, and by the time I got it out of the water it was pretty destroyed. The torus had deflated and broke, but surprisingly the newspaper roll basket was still fairly sturdy. Overall, it passed the 72 hour test and went well beyond. See the full report here!

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Overall, the paper OMNI was a worthwhile exploration into more sustainable materials for ocean monitoring systems. While the lack of wet strength of paper probably makes it unsuitable for long-term ocean use, it has potential as a shorter-term option, and with more research into better materials and structure, it could be a viable way to reduce ocean waste.

After the experiment, we were also able to visit a traditional daruma (traditional round paper dolls) maker to talk about the project and learn how they create their dolls. He gave some interesting insights about how they create their paper mache as well as why the paper omni failed like it did. As seen in the after pictures above, the kakishibu seemed to flake off of the newspaper. He said that the kakishibu probably reacted poorly to existing oils on the newspaper, causing it to flake off. In the future, a different type of paper might be able to produce better results, and by utilizing the traditional methods of daruma making, a more durable paper mache OMNI could be made.