Robotic gardener: Ecotech Intent — ElliotC
I would like to create a robotic gardener. What it would do is automate the process of growing and harvesting crops. By combining small motors and sensors and a simple programmable computer system like an Arduino, a small self-contained box could be constructed that would accept a seed as input and produce crops and more seed as output. This could be used for easily growing many types of plant, by providing different growing instructions and seeds as needed. It could also be built in a way that tries to use energy from the environment efficiently, and avoid excessive use of mains power. This would be helpful in simplifying access to plant products, even plants that are not commonly available easily. For example, if one wants a type of plant like clover that is usually only available in the wild in summer, and not sold in the winter, but the person wants it available to them year round, then it could be grown by the robotic gardener.
Budget:
Parts $120 — probably around $60 for controller and sensors, plus some for motors, lights, water pump, and (a) seed(s).
Time for building and programming for one plant type probably 100 hours. If there are problems with getting it to work, or the plant growing instructions are not available online and need to be developed separately, this could be much more.
One thought on “Robotic gardener: Ecotech Intent — ElliotC”
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This project sounds very high-tech! But in a very cool and fascinating way, because you are literally building a relationship between technology/robotics and the environment, between the artificial and the natural. I think it’s a great project.