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Sunday, September 10, 2017

Plantoids: Plant Robotics

I am a botanist from way back, so from time to time you will see tech oriented agri and horti cultural notes.   Here from Kickstarter, a still unavailable robotic plant pot that seeks out the best place to live in an environment.  Not very practical, but you might think of ways to have larger scale applications of the idea.  See previous examples of the Tertill plant tending robotic,   more practical I think, but scalability a big problem.

" .. Concept:

Our Plantoids are practical. We actually build plant brained robots (no more abstract models), and approach the educational topics from a mindset of building a model with real hardware and code that results in physical experiments. Your plant-robot cyborg dream can become reality. 

Sensory Input:

The key is using sensors and data to expand and support the survival of the plant specimen on the robot. When you can achieve that, the robot can perform interesting experiments and missions to expand life to new environments--previously devoid of life! 

Using an Arduino-based sensory suite to provide data on the quality of life of its plant center, a Plantoid can autonomously explore its environment in search of the best location for its own prosperity. Modeling the extension of life can lead to literacy that may inspire new solutions to big problems that we face today: send life to other planets, change food production, or model survival and sustainability in harsh environments. 

Currently, the sensors included in the Plantoids Base Kit:

Soil moisture
Air temperature and humidity
Ambient light
Air quality sensors.  .... " 


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