I've toyed with this idea (nothing concrete) while working in robotics in Japan. During covid i traveled by bus through Shizuoka prefecture, through the mounta

I've toyed with this idea (nothing concrete) while working in robotics in Japan. During covid i traveled by bus through Shizuoka prefecture, through the mountains. The prefecture is known for its Wasabi plantation and indeed you could see many small plantations of it. It also grows in the wild in the mountains, usually where mineral rich water exist, along the water. Most of Japan is covered in inhospitable mountains (dense jungle like forest), and is therefore not even used for farming. Some patches of Wasabi plants looked so small, and very vertical (following along a natural stream) it must be gruesome work for a single farmer to go up and down that track. Set up like that could be an ideal application for robot farming. Conventional scale farming machines probably can't operate in this vertical constraints, filled with water, trees, rock and mud but small and nimble quadruped style robots could maybe! Fresh wasabi can go for like 250$/kg, seems like a case for small-scale, mountain farming (otherwise tedious for human, too unorganized environment for farming machine) with agile robots could pay off especially since the landscape can't otherwise be utilized (without flattening it). (the technology is not there yet I think. One can dream) Looks something like this: https://www.arabnews.jp/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/1608005820746711600-1024x683.jpg https://www.arabnews.jp/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/1... More at https://www.shizuoka-wasabi.jp/en/about/ https://www.shizuoka-wasabi.jp/en/about/