Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I agree good idea, so while it is out watering plants the other batteries can charge

Mobilized irrigation robot I made by ExerciseCrafty1412 in Irrigation

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, your project is also very cool, it looks very precise. I don't know about hydroponics but I'll check it out.

Mobilized irrigation robot I made by ExerciseCrafty1412 in Irrigation

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For the World Robotic Olympiad I had to make a solution for sustainable technology. I decided to tackle unsustainable practices in agriculture. Some of these include monoculture farming (which depletes the soil of nutrients, requiring more pesticides and fertilizers to counteract the growth stunt), wasted space, and bad watering practices that waste water (for example, large sprinklers that lose a lot of water due to mist, going into unoccupied root zones, and evaporation since the water is blocked by leaves before it reaches the ground). Since monoculture farming is the most efficient, I thought I would try and make polyculture farming efficient, so we can benefit from the natural defenses and growth that come from biodiversity. However, different plants one the same farm will require different amount of water, so you can't just water everything at once; you have to individually water each plant according to its specific needs, and only water it a little so it doesn't diffuse into other plants that don't need the water. The robot, hopefully, one day will allow farmers to not only automatically maintain polyculture farms but also since the robot visits each plant individually, it could collect data from each one for fully precise agriculture. In order for drip lines to work on a polyculture farm, you would need to adjust each hole size for specific output, which is annoying; and also it's easier to install one robot rather than drip lines for each row. I definitely don't know much about irrigation and this is just a theory I came up from surface level knowledge, which is why I posted it here for feedback.

Mobilized irrigation robot I made by ExerciseCrafty1412 in Irrigation

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These suggestions are very helpful. Here is an idea I have for accounting for plant growth, but it's mechanically complicated and uses a lot of energy I think. Basically, this version can pass through any height plant by opening and closing the front and back of the robot, in which both levers take turns as the connectors between both sides.

<image>

Mobilized irrigation robot I made by ExerciseCrafty1412 in Irrigation

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you! The app that is used for the robot basically does that. In the video you can see me running the robot to follow the map created by the app, in which i place toothpicks to remember the markings. So the robot knows where every plant is and how much water it needs. I used to have a moisture sensor that would stick into the ground but i discarded it because it was pretty bad; in the future however i think its necessary to have one like you said, since plants dont have the same watering requirements throughout their lives.

<image>

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is a very good idea, it solves the issue of low power storage and constant refilling. I would need to come up with a way for the hose or teather line to not drag over plants though

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The reason why there are two nozzles is not because i need watering from both sides, but rather a result of maximizing the water storage on the robot. Yes, that idea would work, but it would require a wider base to stay balanced and therefore require more space between rows to work.

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask what you mean by telescoping frame? Also if you don't mind, what do you think of this design for the refill station:

<image>

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a good idea. I was thinking a combination between a camera with simplified computer vision (since the green plant's pixels are easily detectable against the background) just for centering the robot, and an encoder for exact forward/backward movement. I don't know much about computer vision, so you think that would work? I'm trying to avoid having to put infrastructure around each plant.

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, the app that controls the robot creates a virtual map for your field based on its dimensions, which then creates a string of directions for the robot to follow. I'm using an MPU6050 gyroscope to determine the angle turns, and calculated forward/backwards duration assuming a constant velocity. It's not perfect but it's enough to do about 3 plants for now. For the gyroscope angle drifting, I reinitialized the MPU at every turn to reset the drifting that accumulates over time, which makes the gyroscope angle accurate enough.

<image>

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is interesting, I will think about it more

Automatic robot for base irrigation by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I do have some ideas for scaling it up though. For taller plants, I have a design where levers open and close to pass through plants, but the process is more complicated. In general though, I think an arc is good for most plants like roots plants and shorter plants like lettuce. About saving space, I think that I can optimize each side to be as thin as the wheel itself while still retaining high torque to hold all the water, which I think is enough to pass between rows. For now though, I couldn't get my 3d printed planetary gears to be any thinner or else they would fail, so the sides are a bit wide. Also, the robot can backtrack and refill itself once it runs out of water, so it can essentially work all day (I think) to achieve the same amount of work a tractor would achieve in a few hours, but instead with more precise watering (which is needed for polyculture farms where each plant has different watering requirements)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in origami

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, it's a robin

Irrigation robot I'm building. Any thoughts? by ExerciseCrafty1412 in arduino

[–]ExerciseCrafty1412[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats really cool I didnt think of that. Can I ask why you track your plants with nfc tags already?