Roomba for your garden?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rorymackean/tertill-the-solar-powered-weeding-robot-for-home-g

Does this mean I can get rid of my hoe? Did I spell that right?

2 Likes

Too bad it doesn’t have more advanced recognition of weeds vs plants. It looks like it relies on you putting a barrier around the plants you don’t want to kill until they are tall enough, and then you have to run the robot every day to catch the weeds while they are short. Basically it bounces off anything taller than it and chops off anything short.

3 Likes

It is a start.

1 Like

True, I didn’t mean to come off as a negative nelly :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Honestly, being able to recognize every plant by it’s cotyledons would be near impossible. It’s easier to use a heuristic method and say “target everything that isn’t this.”

1 Like

You could use a discrimination library via wifi.

1 Like

In theory, yes, but I know even experienced botanists could have some trouble identifying cotyledons, let alone a robot attempting it. :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

Yah seed leaves are hard to identify. But, there is a whole book written on the subject as a key for the adventurers of botonest 1870’s by some crazy Brit. It’s a good place to start. I saw a copy for sale on Woodburn Books. A number of years ago. I had also seen a copy in the curiosity of botany display at the Missouri Botanical Garden in the 80’s made me want to buy it. No luck evert crazy hort nut must be looking for that book. I put out a quoery to a couple of British booksellers and have not heard back. It’s on my book list ar woodburn books along with some rare Sweetpea catalogs from Zologowitz. And a 1800 century bee keepers hand book. Has the best description of bee lining I have ever read. That is a read thing. I had to learn as a child. Sucks when your mother is an entomologist.

2 Likes