TreeRover: Tree-planting robot project | Hacker News Reader

TreeRover: Tree-planting robot project

iotaenterprises.com

11 pointstrrhodes5 comments

Typical replanting sites are very rough indeed! This initial prototype will require a well groomed site. The goal of this first stage of development is to demonstrate the concept of a tree planting robot. A successful crowd-funded tree planting campaign, in which backers can have a tree planted for them and later receive a video clip of their seedling being planted, will allow for the development of a much more capable TreeRover! Thank you all for your interest and support!

Typical tree planting terrain is one of the least robotics-friendly environments imaginable. Logs, brush, loose sticks and rocks, swamp, sand, hills, you name it.

Here's a photo of a planting site I took during one of my planting contracts a few years back: http://i.imgur.com/tITCW03.jpg

It is often possible for logging companies to prepare the land better (clearing out slash, sometimes scarifying the land), but the expense here is really substantial. Currently the most effective technological tree planting solution is aerial seeding.

Well I'm definitely interested in this thing. The website should probably have more information about the robot though, and the problem it's intended to solve. Like, is this robot intended to replace humans planting trees? Is the intention to make it autonomous? If not, is there an efficiency increase as opposed to using a human?

Google "tree planting campaigns".

Also, http://iotaenterprises.com/the-vision/

> Like, is this robot intended to replace humans planting trees?

If it can do the job as well as a human? Probably. It doesn't need to be as fast.

> Is the intention to make it autonomous?

I would assume so based on it being robotic.

> If not, is there an efficiency increase as opposed to using a human?

Humans are expensive, even if you're not paying them (food, sleep, etc). Robotics aren't over the long term once you've amortized their construction.

  This project immediately reminded me of the 1972 movie "Silent Running," which featured a couple of robots that tended plants on a greenhouse in space.
  Kind of a sad movie, now that I think of it.  Hopefully this project achieves a happier ending...  ;-)

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