To combat desertification – a worldwide problem caused by, among other things, over-farming, mining, and climate change – Mazyar Etehadi from the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation has proposed a small autonomous robot that is intended to live full-time in the desert planting trees.
A graduation project from Mazyar Etehadi, the “A’seedbot” is a small autonomous robot that inhabits the desert to cultivate its landscape.
A’seedbot is approximately 20 cm long and is equipped with solar panels to charge during the day and will navigate its way through the terrain at night to identify fertile areas, report on them as well as plant seeds based on the data retrieved from its sensors and navigation system.
Working autonomously within a set 5 km (3 miles) radius, its 3D-printed legs crawl through the sand, searching for the right levels of moisture to plant the seeds. A movable head lets it look in various directions to choose the right path. Apart from the soil moisture sensor, the tiny robot features built-in collision avoidance and a distance sensor to send reports to the user for statistical data. Human intervention is only required to refill the robot.
According to the developer, this concept addresses different audiences, from governmental entities to farmers and individuals responding on different topics like climate issues or agriculture.