Background:

Open source farming technology systems are showing promise for localizing production, raising awareness of agricultural/ecosystem/land use issues, and providing an entry point and educational opportunity for new entrants into the field. One popular open source design, FarmBot (https://farm.bot), uses a rigid framing system with CNC-style actuation.

There is interest in modifying this platform to use an aerial cable-driven system in order to support taller plant types, uneven terrain, and non-rectangular plots.

More expensive systems that rely on proprietary components have been used to create aerial agriculture tools (https://ard.unl.edu/phenotyping/field-phenotyping-facility), but there is interest in keeping the design open source and low cost.

Summary of MAE156 Project Objective:

The project objective is to create a proof of concept that tests several key questions raised by the community on the feasibility of such a system. Because this platform has a growing open source community, good documentation of the process and outcome will be essential, as the overall goal is to help the community push the concept forward. Use of as many readily-available open source parts (including those available from FarmBot) is encouraged, and any additional components that are developed during the project will be open-sourced.

Key design questions:

1. Can a low cost, open source, cable-driven system be incorporated into the Farmbot platform?

a. Design inspiration

i. https://dbynoe.blogspot.com/2013/12/four-cable-drawing-machine.html

ii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfvctB88EeU

2. What are the design and functionality challenges that arise from switching from a rigid framing to an aerial system? The goal will be to identify and document these for the open source community to take on. Depending on scope and time, students are encouraged to make recommendations and test solutions for any challenges identified, including those listed below:

a. Functions requiring pressing against/into soil become more difficult without the rigid system providing an opposing force.

b. Accuracy/speed of location/movement is likely to be more difficult with a cable-driven system.

c. Durability of the system may change due to introduction of new components, as the system is expected to be outdoors.