Robotic Tomato Harvester

Palomar · 2004-12-03 08:34:14

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology … html]Click

*Finally found a free minute to come back to this. Why do they assume astronauts ("on long trips") would be too busy to pluck a few tomatoes every day? If a large planet-bound colony with lots of people, perhaps. But a few people en route somewhere? ???

It'd be a pleasure picking ripe tomatoes by hand, I'd say. Close to nature, knees in the soil (if area large enough), picking a plump fruit.

--Cindy

John Creighton · 2004-12-03 10:53:23

Good point most of the labor would be in planting and weeding the plants. However if you also had a robotic mechanism to preserve the tomatoes you could prepare lots of rations before the astronauts even arrived. I think the biggest advantage is the astronauts don't have to be at the base to pick the tomatoes. So for if some reason the base was abandoned the crop could be harvested while the astronauts are gone. Besides if this it just another tool you can stick on the end of a multi purpose robotic arm why not. The more functionality the better.

Grypd · 2004-12-03 17:35:08

It has been found that plants will grow much better in a CO2 enriched enviroment to the point that what is best for plant growth is not breathable for humans. So why risk people in breathing gear to just pick the crops get a robot to do it. This sort of technology is essential for manned settlement of space and is rather potentially useful down here on Earth too.

Palomar · 2004-12-03 19:16:16

It has been found that plants will grow much better in a CO2 enriched enviroment to the point that what is best for plant growth is not breathable for humans. So why risk people in breathing gear to just pick the crops get a robot to do it.

*Hmmmm...that's a good point. Thanks for chiming in, Grypd.

[Can you tell I don't know much about gardening?? ]

--Cindy

GraemeSkinner · 2004-12-04 03:25:10

It has been found that plants will grow much better in a CO2 enriched enviroment to the point that what is best for plant growth is not breathable for humans. So why risk people in breathing gear to just pick the crops get a robot to do it. This sort of technology is essential for manned settlement of space and is rather potentially useful down here on Earth too.

Not all plants enjoy a CO2 enriched atmosphere, tomatoes however do show an increased fruit yeild in thanks to CO2 fertilization, in one test the increase was between 36% - 169% http://www.actahort.org/books/162/162_31.htm]DETAILS

So in the enriched CO2 atmosphere I'd let a robot pick the fruit, but that does take away the fun of picking your own tom's (you don't get to test them as part of quality control in the greenhouse).

Graeme

RobS · 2004-12-04 12:14:04

On an interplanetary cruise, boredom may be a problem, so taking care of a "farm" might be therapeutic and fun.

I think plants like 1-2% CO2, right? People can't live in an atmosphere like that, but they can tolerate it alright. A simple oxygen tube near the mouth to displace about half the air you are inhaling would probably solve the problem enough. For that matter, a simple device that takes in air from around you, runs it through a CO2 filter, and blows it in front of your face would work. Perhaps you could build it into a "baseball cap." Or if the CO2 level of the greenhouse goes through a natural daily cycle because of photosynthesis you could do your work when the CO2 level is at minimum, before you injected more CO2 and raised its percentage (for example, harvest in late afternoon as daily photosynthesis is nearing its end).

-- RobS

C M Edwards · 2004-12-06 16:34:20

[...]in one test the increase was between 36% - 169%

269% of 0.3 mbars (the amount of CO2 in Terrestrial Air) is only 0.8 mbars. That's still breathable.

GraemeSkinner · 2004-12-07 00:09:30

On an interplanetary cruise, boredom may be a problem, so taking care of a "farm" might be therapeutic and fun.
I think plants like 1-2% CO2, right?

Farming could be therapeutic, it would depend on how much time they have to spare.

As to plants liking CO2, the effect is called (if I remember right) C02 fertilization and generally they like a good deal more than 1-2% CO2 for this fertilization effect to work - it does not work on all plants of course.

Graeme

maxie · 2005-02-16 03:07:09

IMHO a robotic tomato harvester on a manned mission is quite unnecessary.
But, a robotic "gardener" could be quite useful for certain mission designs, which propose to send a lot of equipment and a greenhouse some time (like 1 year) before the crew itself. The fruits would be conserved, obviously.
But the question arising here is if such a robotic gardener would be dependable enough, so the crew wouldn't have some very very bad surprises when they arrive on Mars.

Pulaskee · 2005-02-19 00:31:21

But the question arising here is if such a robotic gardener would be dependable enough, so the crew wouldn't have some very very bad surprises when they arrive on Mars.

It takes what...8 months to get there? so when planing for a mission to mars send the rover one and a half years before the humans go, this gives time for the thing to brake down and to have a serplus, never bad lots you can do with them. though i wonder is you could do Potatos, more useful.

Rakial · 2005-02-22 12:49:02

I read somewhere that low-pressure makes plants act as if they're drying out.

As well don’t you need all kinds of microorganisms to help soil along to break components for plants to absorb? In the totally sterile environment like Mars there are no organisms of any kind (well, that’s still to be determined)

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#1 2004-12-03 08:34:14

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#2 2004-12-03 10:53:23

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#3 2004-12-03 17:35:08

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#4 2004-12-03 19:16:16

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#5 2004-12-04 03:25:10

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#6 2004-12-04 12:14:04

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#7 2004-12-06 16:34:20

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#8 2004-12-07 00:09:30

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#9 2005-02-16 03:07:09

Re: Robotic Tomato Harvester

#10 2005-02-19 00:31:21

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#11 2005-02-22 12:49:02

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