an eggplant

Robotics: make eggplants, not explosives

Eddy, a robot measuring less than 30cm tall, could become the industry standard for commercial and amateur farmers who want to grow pesticide-free, water-efficient crops via hydraponics.

On a rooftop in the Jewish-Arab Tel Aviv neighbourhood of Jaffa, a former military technologist and an ex-journalist sit in a transparent bio-dome where their robot is busy learning how to grow food.

Flux IoT’s Eddy, a robot measuring less than 30cm tall and resembling a lifebuoy, is built with military-grade sensors and armed with image-processing technology.

Its inventors intend it to become the industry standard for commercial and amateur indoor farmers who want to grow pesticide-free, water-efficient crops via hydroponics – a method of growing plants without soil. Eddy sits in the growing reservoir, and users can stay updated on their crops’ progress via a mobile app, where information gleaned from fellow farmers can help them know when to change the lighting or add nutrients.

Read the full article by Gwen Ackerman at The Brisbane Times.