tech
FarmBot
[July 2023]
An attempt to try planting Broccoli and Bok Choy using an autonomous robot. There'll probably be multiple failures here and there in this journey to nurture the ultimate robot-grown Bok Choy, but the lessons learnt will definitely be worth them failures.
Did you know Bok Choy and Broccoli has seeds? Neither do I.
Presenting the core component for dispensing Bok Choy and Broccoli seeds, designed on Fusion 360 and 3D printed on the trusty CR-5 Pro.
The robot is also capable of distinguishing pesky pests taking a bite out of the Bok Choy. This is crucial after the Bok Choy has grown from its seed / seedling form.
and fire precise shots of pesticides at the pests based on some calculations ( refer to description below )
Repeat the same for the vertical rotational angle for the vertical Servo, except that the vertical distance is tabulated using the pixel width and pixel height of the box drawn around the pest, converted to mm. The vertical still needs some work, as there is a need to account for the gravitational acceleration and the trajectory of the water jet.
On top of shooting pesky insects with precise shots and amounts of pesticides, it can also use the same motorized nozzle to water the plants. Work in progress to
1) have a switch mechanism to switch the tube from extracting pesticide to a separate bottle that extracts water.
2) have some sort of motorized soil moisture sensor to detect soil moisture, so as to know the perfect amount of water to water the vegetables with.
Water flow pressure is increased as well, by designing a nozzle onto the pipe. Printed it in translucent PLA so one can easily see the decrease in volumetric area of the outflow, thus an increase in pressure. This allowed for strong precise bursts of pesticides onto the pests, and not onto the Bok Choy.
Mk1 of the 2 Degree of Freedom Pesticide mechanism. Works pretty well, but theres definitely room for improvement.
The entirety of the pesticide mechanism.
Comprised of the horizontal vertical Servo mechanism, a hotswappable bottle (to add limit switches as sensor to check if bottle's loaded),
a vacuum pump, and most importantly a camera for image processing.
A robust and stable base is important so that the tank can run well on soil. This is especially important since no-dig farming usually have uneven terrains.
A high current, high capacity Lithium ion battery to support these 7 motors + camera.
Ceramic GPS module for precise location tracking
In need for some cable management. For now, it is what it is.
Seed Dispensing. The other compartment will be for fertilizer dispensing, similar to how humans will sow seeds and cover it with fertilizer in the no-dig farm process.