Samuel Melamed has not only created a rain barrel design that can deliver collected rainfall to an entire backyard, he has created a work of art to accentuate any flower bed.

Melamed, a graduate of the University of Toronto, was also one of a record three Canadian student inventors who made the international top 20 shortlist of the 2010 James Dyson Award (see page 8 for details).
“We’re looking for useful ideas that demonstrate adventurous thinking and a rigorous approach to a problem. Many of this year’s designs have real potential,” explained James Dyson, the inventor of the world famous Dyson vacuum and Dyson Airblade.



Melamed’s smart, stylish rain water system – called the Saguaro Rain Collector –makes it possible to be ecological without lugging heavy watering cans and barrels. The Saguaro name “comes from the Saguaro cactus, among the largest cacti species in the world that collects a vast amount of water,” said Melamed, now a designer at C2P Inc. (concept to product) in Mississauga, ON (www.c2p-inc.com).

“Most current rain collection systems are unattractive and impractical, while the Saguaro is sleekly designed and has been carefully engineered. The bonus is that in addition to collecting water, the Saguaro features an ordinary bicycle pump that creates enough pressure to allow you to easily water your plants with a garden hose.” SolidWorks 3D solid modeling software was used to explore shapes and configurations for the rain barrel, allowing Melamed to create conceptual renderings of how good the product would look in any garden.

Melamed considered a number of design approaches for the rain barrel when he started his product design class at U of T with instructor David Nacson, who is also a successful product designer. One concept that was quickly discarded was a bladder system, while another investigation led Melamed to search the patent on the SuperSoaker water cannon.

Eventually, Melamed decided to use an externally pressurized cylinder and regulator valve to charge and control the water pressure coming from the barrel. Unlike passive rain barrels on the market, his Saguaro prototype needs to be sealed air-tight (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBLN49a-Q8).

The retail price for the Saguaro rain barrel should be in the $250 to $300 range, estimates Melamed, “a product that pays for itself within in a few summer months.”

Melamed is currently looking to attract the appropriate investment to bring the Saguaro to market. “Right now, from my research I have determined that the $2.6 billion dollar lawn and garden industry has boomed over the past five years and is continuing to grow.”

The Awards are a good spring board for talented young designers. Last year’s winner Automist is now on the market as a result of the award’s support.

The Automist is a fire extinguisher that can be fitted directly onto a standard kitchen tap. In the event of a fire, a wireless heat detector triggers the under-sink pump, driving mains water through a nozzle – quickly filling the kitchen with a fine mist to put out the blaze. Its designers, Yusuf Muhammad and Paul Thomas, invested their winnings in testing and prototyping. Watch their video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rv3-KwSCDU.