April 8, 2009 -- Fruit and veggies without the fuss are the promise of a new robot being developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The robot could someday plant, tend and harvest your garden for you. "Right now we are just using cherry tomatoes," said Nikolaus Correll, a professor at MIT who, along with his students, is developing the robotic gardener. "But in the future I could see us doing all kinds of fruits and vegetables." The scientists work with small tomatoes because they have a small robot. It is based on the circular Roomba robotic floor cleaners, 12 inches diameter. On top of the Roomba sits the robotic arm and an on-board computer, in this case a small Dell laptop. A robotic arm, equipped with a camera and flat gripper, extends an additional 31 inches. In this video, the robot pulls up to a docking station and "pees" on a tomato plant to water it. The robot moves to another tomato plant and uses the Web cam to recognize a tomato and grab it with the gripper. Related Content:
The robot gardener began as a project to teach MIT students about robotics. A person might find it easy to walk up and pick a tomato, but the same task is difficult for a robot. Deciding just what shade of red means the tomato is ripe, applying the right amount of pressure to grab the fruit without damaging it, and then twisting the fruit free are all skills that must be taught to a robot. The robotic gardener "combines a lot of autonomous robotic movements: force control, vision, movement," said Correll. "I always thought it would be a good scholarly project to teach." Robot gardeners help students learn the basics of software and hardware engineering, but agriculture is also big business. Sanjiv Singh, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has been developing robots for use in large-scale agriculture. Singh says there are many opportunities for robots in farms and orchards, from weeding to harvesting, that could make agriculture faster and more efficient. Get More NewsMouse Cloned From Long-Frozen CellResearchers create a mouse from a long-frozen cell. Will the mammoth be next?'Bubble' Could Protect AstronautsScientists say a "bubble" around a Mars-bound spaceship could protect astronauts.Big Reduction of Snowmobiles in Yellowstone ProposedA new plan would cut snowmobile use by 40 percent in Yellowstone.Microbes: Fuel of the Future?A reddish South American microbe is literally breathing fuel, say scientists.DNA Links Remains to Steve FossetDNA tests on two bones found in California confirm they are those of Steve Fossett.Women Carry More Bacteria Than MenSome bacteria prefer women, suggests a new study. But why?Ancient 'Water Monster' Facing ExtinctionA foot-long salamander that was a key part of Aztec legend is threatened by extinction.Grand Canyon's Youth ConfirmedThe Grand Canyon is millions of years younger than previously thought, argue geologists.My Take: E-Voting Not User FriendlyOpinion: Electronic voting machines don't always capture the intent of voters.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.At 40, Brain and Body SlowThe part of the brain in charge of motion starts a gradual slide in middle age.Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates. |
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