Still in pre order phase, but this is a pretty cool uture, especially the size since may people are in smaller and smaller backyards…

https://youtu.be/8r0CiLBM1o8

normally USD$3900

video 5.42:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r0CiLBM1o8?rel=0%20autohide=1&showinfo=0&autoplay=1&iframe=true&width=85%&height=100%

Intro to FarmBot Genesis

DIY open-source hardware platform optimized for small-scale soil-based food production

FarmBot Genesis is the first FarmBot to be designed, prototyped, and manufactured. Genesis is designed to be a flexible FarmBot foundation for experimentation, prototyping, and hacking. The driving factors behind the design are simplicity, manufacturability, scalability, and hackability.

http://www.ted.com/talks/shubhendu_sharma_how_to_grow_a_forest_in_your_backyard?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2016-07-16&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=talk_of_the_week_image

yes, but this is edible and does all the work for me :P

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

Arts said:

yes, but this is edible and does all the work for me :P

Doing the work, well you still have to program it.

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

each person = each household

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

Farmers already do this large scale. That’s why they want to reverse the legislation regarding protection of the little native biodiversity we have left.

Arts said:

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

Victory gardens. You won’t eliminate large farms, economies of scale mean they are the most efficient and cheaper.

Arts said:

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

They’d be able to do a bed like that and get some exercise.

Esther Dean was always an inspiration.

AwesomeO said:

Arts said:

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

Victory gardens. You won’t eliminate large farms, economies of scale mean they are the most efficient and cheaper.

‘as many’ being the key words there

Arts said:

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

I’m not sure if I am sold on that idea in the first place. But it might be a fun toy to tinker with.

Arts said:

each person = each household

There is so much food falling out of anywhere I can store it here… That is If I was ten people no one would go hungry because food is everywhere. Growing your own is so bountiful..

Arts said:

each person = each household

for some of us, that is the same thing :)

party_pants said:

Arts said:

party_pants said:

Very interesting, but seems a bit overkill for a 1.5 × 3 m garden bed.

indeed, but the idea is to make each person a ‘self providing grower’ and therefore eliminate the need for as many large ‘farms’ and reclaim the land

I’m not sure if I am sold on that idea in the first place. But it might be a fun toy to tinker with.

It will likely end up like all the other plastic things you buy and leave in the weather.

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

each person = each household

There is so much food falling out of anywhere I can store it here… That is If I was ten people no one would go hungry because food is everywhere. Growing your own is so bountiful..

You should post some photos of your garden beds and fruit trees.

party_pants said:

Arts said:

each person = each household

for some of us, that is the same thing :)

Which is when you need a robot more. Arts still has small people who can get closer to the ground yet.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

each person = each household

There is so much food falling out of anywhere I can store it here… That is If I was ten people no one would go hungry because food is everywhere. Growing your own is so bountiful..

You should post some photos of your garden beds and fruit trees.

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

There is so much food falling out of anywhere I can store it here… That is If I was ten people no one would go hungry because food is everywhere. Growing your own is so bountiful..

You should post some photos of your garden beds and fruit trees.

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

yes, even though I can grow my own.. I don’t.. because, time and amount of care.. If I had the option o buying one of these I would.. it seems convenient to me.. o course it’s still too expensive IMO, but I can see it’s worth and I think it’s a neat solution.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

You should post some photos of your garden beds and fruit trees.

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

Arts said:

yes, even though I can grow my own.. I don’t.. because, time and amount of care.. If I had the option o buying one of these I would.. it seems convenient to me.. o course it’s still too expensive IMO, but I can see it’s worth and I think it’s a neat solution.

I think that sibeen and Boris could help you make one.

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

You are younger than I imagined. About 30 years younger.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

You are younger than I imagined. About 30 years younger.

That photo is 30 years old.

Arts said:

yes, even though I can grow my own.. I don’t.. because, time and amount of care.. If I had the option o buying one of these I would.. it seems convenient to me.. o course it’s still too expensive IMO, but I can see it’s worth and I think it’s a neat solution.

I would be interested to see the difference between this optimised individual plant treatment versus a control of watering by simple retic timer and weekly weeding. I guess it depends a bit on whether or not the plants grow that much better to make it worthwhile. Also be interested to know where you get the infor from to optimise the care plan for each plant.

you are all missing the point… it’s a ROBOT helper… it’s the future, man!

It’ll be interesting to see where this idea goes. Does the Farmbot measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…? Will it identify and kill weeds, pests, insects, parasites…? Does it apply growth enhancers, supplements, insecticides, fertilisers…?

Arts said:

you are all missing the point… it’s a ROBOT helper… it’s the future, man!

Silent Running.

party_pants said:

Arts said:

yes, even though I can grow my own.. I don’t.. because, time and amount of care.. If I had the option o buying one of these I would.. it seems convenient to me.. o course it’s still too expensive IMO, but I can see it’s worth and I think it’s a neat solution.

I would be interested to see the difference between this optimised individual plant treatment versus a control of watering by simple retic timer and weekly weeding. I guess it depends a bit on whether or not the plants grow that much better to make it worthwhile. Also be interested to know where you get the infor from to optimise the care plan for each plant.

and each location.

Arts said:

you are all missing the point… it’s a ROBOT helper… it’s the future, man!

:)

Arts said:

you are all missing the point… it’s a ROBOT helper… it’s the future, man!

yes dear, in the future robot cars will drive drunks home too

Rule 303 said:

It’ll be interesting to see where this idea goes. Does the Farmbot measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…? Will it identify and kill weeds, pests, insects, parasites…? Does it apply growth enhancers, supplements, insecticides, fertilisers…?

“measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…?”

they say yes to soil moisture level and chemistry (via different attachments)

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

I suspect there is a fertilizer attachment too.. but haven’t yet got through the whole site (it’s very comprehensive) although i they don’t exist there is no reason why they couldn’t in future incarnations

Rule 303 said:

It’ll be interesting to see where this idea goes. Does the Farmbot measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…? Will it identify and kill weeds, pests, insects, parasites…? Does it apply growth enhancers, supplements, insecticides, fertilisers…?

A lpt of data is available from the internet and sensors do a lot more. I know farmers who check the app on their phone that monitors the entire orchard soil moisture levels and can see it on the screen. How their soil water looks.

Arts said:

Rule 303 said:

It’ll be interesting to see where this idea goes. Does the Farmbot measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…? Will it identify and kill weeds, pests, insects, parasites…? Does it apply growth enhancers, supplements, insecticides, fertilisers…?

“measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…?”

they say yes to soil moisture level and chemistry (via different attachments)

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

I suspect there is a fertilizer attachment too.. but haven’t yet got through the whole site (it’s very comprehensive) although i they don’t exist there is no reason why they couldn’t in future incarnations

A robot could do everything. In the climate they created it for. A few weeks in my sun and it would be falling apart like the clothespegs and the curtains do.

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

Rule 303 said:

It’ll be interesting to see where this idea goes. Does the Farmbot measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…? Will it identify and kill weeds, pests, insects, parasites…? Does it apply growth enhancers, supplements, insecticides, fertilisers…?

“measure rain, temperature, soil moisture level, sunlight hours, soil chemistry…?”

they say yes to soil moisture level and chemistry (via different attachments)

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

I suspect there is a fertilizer attachment too.. but haven’t yet got through the whole site (it’s very comprehensive) although i they don’t exist there is no reason why they couldn’t in future incarnations

A robot could do everything. In the climate they created it for. A few weeks in my sun and it would be falling apart like the clothespegs and the curtains do.

they talk about it’s rainworthyness, but not other weathers, though I guess they will think about that stuff if/as the project takes off

but anyway, it is certainly food for thought :)

roughbarked said:

A few weeks in my sun and it would be falling apart like the clothespegs and the curtains do.

Manufacturers can add chemical sunscreens (‘UV Stabilisers’) if they give a shit about anything beyond the initial sale.

Arts said:

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

In the trial plot, the machines could be shown which plants are wanted and any other type isn’t. They’d stamp on them and yes most will not survive this if done when they are very small and if the soil is dry. However, the machines are watering it.

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

In the trial plot, the machines could be shown which plants are wanted and any other type isn’t. They’d stamp on them and yes most will not survive this if done when they are very small and if the soil is dry. However, the machines are watering it.

the watering is very specifically located.. this is one of their selling points, highly directionalised and amount for the plant type and at each growing stage watering that wastes nothing

watch the video.. it answers a lot of questions

Arts said:

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

for weeds, there is, again, an attachment that pushes them into the ground destroying (they say) the delicate roots and therefore the weeds

In the trial plot, the machines could be shown which plants are wanted and any other type isn’t. They’d stamp on them and yes most will not survive this if done when they are very small and if the soil is dry. However, the machines are watering it.

the watering is very specifically located.. this is one of their selling points, highly directionalised and amount for the plant type and at each growing stage watering that wastes nothing

Weeds know nothing of that plan. They grow where the water is.

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

roughbarked said:

In the trial plot, the machines could be shown which plants are wanted and any other type isn’t. They’d stamp on them and yes most will not survive this if done when they are very small and if the soil is dry. However, the machines are watering it.

the watering is very specifically located.. this is one of their selling points, highly directionalised and amount for the plant type and at each growing stage watering that wastes nothing

Weeds know nothing of that plan. They grow where the water is.

fair point.

Arts said:

watch the video.. it answers a lot of questions

The video is a video. Mythbusters could pull it to bits.

Arts said:

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

the watering is very specifically located.. this is one of their selling points, highly directionalised and amount for the plant type and at each growing stage watering that wastes nothing

Weeds know nothing of that plan. They grow where the water is.

fair point.

and unless you start with sterilised soil, they’ll grow in the millions right where the plant is.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

You should post some photos of your garden beds and fruit trees.

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

And what did you think the insects and birds and fungi were living and photographed on?

In 1979 this area was nothing but Saffron thistle wall to wall and at least a metre and a half tall.

roughbarked said:

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

Have often. Virtually all of my photos are taken in my backyard.

Close ups of insects and fungus. How about some pictures of your bountiful garden beds and fruit trees.

And what did you think the insects and birds and fungi were living and photographed on?

In 1979 this area was nothing but Saffron thistle wall to wall and at least a metre and a half tall.

When I got rid of that it was all calcrete lying on top of its own clay and I’ve told you this story before. Check your notes.

My dad moved into a place with an established orchard. He reckons he picked 100kg of oranges this year. He’s nowhere near self sufficient but says with vegies being so cheap and abundant, why would one need to grow their own? (Barring preppers, of course.) He also inherited three chooks who have stopped laying due to winter, but he considers them pets and wouldn’t eat them. He says he doesn’t keep them for the eggs anyway as eggs are also cheap and in abundance.

Society as a whole takes food for granted.

I notice that this is still running. Includes more pics of roughbark garden.
http://tokyo3.org/forums/gardening/