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Robots with legs are probably not an option, they are both costly in production and energy usage. Something more akin to https://farm.bot https://farm.bot but o
by kaveh_h 8y ago
Robots with legs are probably not an option, they are both costly in production and energy usage. Something more akin to https://farm.bot https://farm.bot but on a larger scale would probably work better. Maybe a hybrid solution like a CNC bot built on top a frame with wheels that could simply drive around a field and work on different quadrants would be a way forward.
- wlesieutre 8y agoYou could put it on a radial track built like center pivot irrigation systems. Maybe even on the same construction if you already have that.
- samatman 8y agoThis is a billion dollar business, if it can be made to ride on existing systems. Imagine being able to plant, weed, and harvest strawberries from a center pivot. Huge.
- wlesieutre 8y agoI'm betting you'd still need to install a new track designed for the purpose, but you might be able to clamp it on to the existing framework. Irrigation stuff is below and would be tough to move around, maybe the robots dangle off the side?
- mymythisisthis 8y agoSee my comment above, the original steam trackers were too heavy to put on a field, so they used a system of wires to pull machinery around. Two trackers drive in tandem down the sides of a field, with a wire between them. The machinery suspended from the wire.
- Iv 8y agoI am currently making a suspended robot to work on that exact problem. I hope to achieve what Farm Bot does but on a much higher scale. I live in Japan where most of the fields are ricefields. Wheels or legs are not really an option under these extremely muddy conditions.
- tomcam 8y agoWould love to hear more about this
- Iv 8y agoI wish this post happened a week later! We are currently making a website, it should have been online last week but we missed the deadline. I have a small working prototype (2x2m area), I am currently changing some parts so that it can be made 100% with off-the-shelf parts. Next step is trying it on a 10x10m area and then see how far it can go. Without making it particularly sturdy, it was able to lift 4 kg and has a pretty good movement repeatability even if totally "blind" (I am currently working on its vision system), two things that drone would have a hard time duplicating in outdoor conditions. I can PM you later when we have all the things set up if you want. Or we can just chat here.
- namlem 8y agoLegged are impractical now and for the near future, but I suspect the cost will decline substantially within 10 years.