Material Research

I. Introduction to Lentil as a Chosen Hero Ingredient and its Product Assets

According to Chef and food journalist Fraya Berg at Food Network, lentils belong to a plant category known as legumes. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlights lentils as a protein-packed food and an excellent source of fiber, iron, folate, zinc, and choline. Their high protein content makes lentils a suitable meat substitute for vegetarian or vegan meals.

1. High contents of Proteins and Carbohydrates

Lentils contain higher levels of protein and carbohydrates than most other legumes. Notably, their carbohydrate content exceeds that of corn, a common primary source of starch for bioplastics.

Source: USDA

• The ample protein and carbohydrate content of lentils makes them a viable substance as a thickening agent for soups and stews.

• According to multiple studies, lentils have been identified as a reliable source of bio-based materials such as bioplastics and biofilms. Their high protein content indicates promising potential for future applications in biodegradable materials.

3. Sustainability–comparison between lentil and corn

In the United States, corn is the most common material for the starch-based bioplastic because the United States has the biggest corn production in the world.

I. Problems with corn production in the United States

• Corn production is predominantly concentrated in the Midwestern states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin—collectively known as "The Corn Belt."

• This concentration poses threats to biodiversity and leads to soil erosion. Scientific studies indicate that the Corn Belt is undergoing distinctive climate changes, marked by rising temperatures and reduced precipitation.

According to estimates from USDA report and multiple scientific articles, climate changes, including droughts and pest-related issues, along with soil erosions in the Corn Belt, are projected to result in approximately a 28% loss in annual corn yield by the end of the century.

• A study conducted at the Stanford Woods Institute for Environment emphasizes that corn is highly susceptible to droughts, and these climate changes are expected to escalate the need for fertilizer and water in corn production.
  

• Consequently, this will raise the costs associated with crop maintenance and corn production. The subsequent increase in costs may make corn less economically viable for the bioplastic market in the future. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and explore alternative materials to substitute corn.

3. Environmental friendliness of Lentil

2. Nitrogen Fixation

• As legumes, including lentils, pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and into the soil, legume farming helps improve the health of soils.

• Lentils have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria in nodules on their roots that can convert nitrogen gas to a form useful to plants. This process is called nitrogen fixation. This can reduce usage of fertilizer on soil (Clain Jones, a plant specialist at Montana State University.)

1. Low water footprint.

• As opposed to the corn agricultures and vulnerabilities, lentils are more resilient from droughts and their shallow roots require small amount of water (USDA).

• Lentils are well adapted to semi-arid condition and tolerate drought stress well.
  
  

Material Exploration

I.First and Second biomaterial experimentation with lentil flour

II.Further experimentation with different amounts of glycerine and using food coloring

• Reduced 1/5 amount of glycerine

• The experiments revealed that using less glycerine produced a thicker biomaterial with faster bonding after heating.

  • However, this rapid bonding reduced controllability and made the material less suitable for molding.

  • Lower glycerine content also caused lentil flour particles to dissolve less, resulting in a rougher surface, and over time, these samples became progressively harder

Result of the testing with food coloring was successful.

Research on Targeted User Group

I.Issues with current toy industry

1.The toy industry, akin to fast fashion, contributes significantly to environmental issues. In the UK, it generates over 1 million tonnes of waste annually (Sustained Fun, 2022).

a. Rapidly changing trends result in toys being discarded after brief use, with 80% ending up in landfills, posing environmental risks throughout their life cycle (Yale Environment Review).

2. The selective use of materials, predominantly plastics and woods, intensifies deforestation and electricity consumption in material processing.

a. Efforts, like Lego transitioning to bioplastics, highlight environmental concerns, acknowledging significant CO2 emissions (over one million tons) associated with toy production, including electronics.

II. Why should lentil biomaterial be used for toys?

2. For user’s safety and future.

• Using these bio-silicone/ bio-plastic from nutritious lentils, this project aims to design and create a toy for both children and seniors with dementia.

1.To find more diverse material choices in toy industry

A FTD patient’s brain - the temporal lobe part of the brain shrank.

• Patients with Frontal temporal dementia often have a similar symptom to the mouthing, called “hyperorality”.

• As the frontal and temporal lobe parts of their brains where control behaviors and process languages are damaged, the patient experience unusual and compulsive behaviors. For example, they tend to overeat or eat things that are not foods; They have mouth-centered compulsive behaviors (ex. smoking gestures or mouthing like babies)

III. Interviews with Targeted User Groups

• To understand better about user groups, several interviews conducted during the research stage.

IV. Insights into children and the toy industry.

from U.S USPC Toy age guidline

• Children's toys are subject to stringent regulations, requiring thorough third-party laboratory testing.

  • In response, the targeted age has been revised to be above 2 years, aligning with the stage when children typically cease mouthing behaviors, ensuring adherence to toy safety guidelines.

• Children undergo distinct stages of brain development at different ages. For those aged 2-7, educational games or toys centered around manipulative play and sensory activities, including activities like smelling, sorting, and matching shapes and colors, are deemed suitable.

• Based on an interview with a family member of a dementia patient, individuals with dementia are often diagnosed with depression and tend to experience lethargy throughout the day, largely due to spending extended periods indoors. They may also engage in unconscious repetitive behaviors, such as rubbing or scratching.

• The family member emphasized the importance of providing entertainment to elevate patients’ mood and energy levels. Sensory or reactive toys were noted as especially valuable for capturing attention, given the tendency of patients to lose interest quickly.

• The caregiver also highlighted the benefits of recreational and social activities designed to stimulate cognition. Recommended activities include card games, drawing, coloring, and simple mathematics, which can help maintain engagement and support overall mental well-being.

Landscape Research about the toys and board games for the targeted user groups

• To gain a comprehensive understanding of the toy market for the identified target groups, a thorough landscape analysis was conducted.

• The research revealed a significant overlap in the toys and board games favored by both groups, with most products falling into the categories of sensory toys and educational items focused on mathematics and memorization.

  • These findings not only confirmed the specific needs of the users but also provided a solid foundation for envisioning and conceptualizing designs for the project.

Targeted User groups’ Identified Needs

Ideations for board games

Goal of this game: Teaching patience, sensory activities- color and pattern sorting & matching

Goal of this game: Teaching patience, sensory activities- color and pattern sorting & matching

1. The game host puts patterned panels into the frame without showing them to the players.

2. For the first turn, players can touch the panels for 30 secs and have to remember their locations by only using their tactile feeling.

3. After 30 sec, the host takes out all the panels. Players have to guess where each pattern was located.

4. If the players could not remember their order in the first turn, they get another chance to touch the panels again.

Goal of this game: Teaching patience, Improving memorization skill, sensory activities- color and pattern sorting & matching

• To narrow down design concepts, I conducted a vote with the entire design food class. Two design concepts, which one is which? and the Memorization Game, were selected based on the voting results.

• To determine the most valid design concept, rough prototypes of the two chosen concepts were made with cardboard. Two user testings with the two target user groups were conducted using the prototypes.

User testing

User testing with children at age 5 from Dr. Day care learning center in Providence and seniors around 65-70

• Cardboard prototypes and lentil bio-rubber samples of varying colors and densities were tested to identify user preferences.

• To observe preferences and interactions, user testing was conducted with 10–12 children (ages 5–7) at Dr. Day Care Center in Providence. For over one hour, the children played the games, shared their preferences, and explored the lentil bio-rubber samples, offering feedback on both the gameplay and materials. In addition, the class instructors provided feedback on the games and selected their preferred option between the two.

• Due to privacy constraints, direct testing with dementia patients was not possible. Instead, user testing was conducted with two seniors aged 65–70, who shared feedback through discussions and gameplay.

Observation and Insights from user testings

Final Prototype

Based on user testing with the two targeted groups, the most favored texture among the biomaterial samples was chosen for the final prototype.

Final recipe of lentil flour bio–silicones

Final Ingredients

Cooking & Prototyping Process

Photos of The Final Prototype

Branding & Additional Components

Rooted in the concepts of Organic, Board Game, and Sensory Toy, the brand identity reflects the product’s natural origins. The name is an abbreviation of Innovative Organic Sensory Board Game, while the color palette draws directly from the rich, earthy tones of lentils—the primary material used in production.

The Linogi packaging includes biomaterial care instructions and game rules for the two user groups.

Rendering For Advertisement

The 3D renderings of the Linogi toy were designed and created using Rhino and KeyShot. Each rendering captures the playfulness and joy of the product, illustrating how it could be advertised.