2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
Researchers from the Bartlett School of Architecture have developed a project for a robotic autonomous garden, Hortum Machina B. You can read more about the implementation of the project on the website of the Interactive Architecture Laboratory.
Hortum Machina B is a spherical exoskeleton made of aluminum tubes, inside of which a core is fixed by cables, consisting of several platforms with living plants. The platforms with are connected to the core by linear actuators that are connected to a microcontroller, and a solar-powered platform and a water tank for watering plants are also provided in the core.
The unmanned garden reads data from sensors for light, vibration, temperature and humidity, and then compares it with the favorable conditions for the plants planted on the platforms. If the conditions are unfavorable, the control circuit, using linear actuators, extends several platforms, changing the center of gravity of the entire structure, thanks to which the Hortum Machina B is set in motion.
The authors of the project view the unmanned garden as a "nervous system for plants." Plants are forced to grow in one place, while they often die due to the fact that they cannot adapt to adverse conditions. According to the designers, Hortum Machina B can help plants "on their own" choose a more favorable place to live.
