Could this robot end the need for weeding? Solar-powered 'Tertill' snips budding invaders while leaving your plants untouched
- Robot has sensors to detect small weeds and cuts them down using a strimmer
- It automatically roams the garden and ignores plants fitted with special collars
- It is solar powered and water-proof so can remain outside for long periods
- Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the 'Tertill' machines begins this month with each robot costing around $300 (£230)
For those tired of the never-ending task of weeding, one set of engineers has the answer: a robot that autonomously clears up your lawn.
The machine roams the garden and uses sensors to detect weeds sprouting from the soil, which it then cuts down using a small string trimmer.
The robot, called Tertill, is solar powered and water-proof so can be left outside in the rain and does not need to be plugged in to charge.
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Experts have developed a machine that automatically roams the garden and uses sensors to detect weeds sprouting from the soil, which it then cuts down. The robot, called Tertill (pictured), is solar powered and water-proof so can be left to work outside for long periods
As well as the ability to pair with smartphones through Bluetooth, the Tertill also has a USB port for charging during cloudy weeks.
The Tertill's sensors target small plants, so gardeners must fit their young saplings with special collars to stop the robot from chopping them down.
It was created by Franklin Robotics, a company based in Lowell, Massachusetts, and co-run by Joe Jones - one of the developers of the famous 'Roomba' automatic robot vacuum.
Franklin Robotics is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Tertill on June 13, with the robots priced at around $300 (£230) each.
'Once the battery is charged, Tertill starts patrolling for weeds,' Franklin Robotics writes on its website.
'Sensors cause it to turn away from plants and detect when it has run into an obstacle.
'Tertill treats short plants as weeds, cutting them down with a string trimmer/weed whacker.'
Users have to space the plants in their garden out to ensure that the Tertill can fit between them, the company says.
They should avoid planting on inclines as the robot struggles with steep hills and can get stuck.
Users must also set up a small barrier to stop the robot from wandering too far and getting lost.
As well as the ability to pair with smartphones through Bluetooth, the Tertill also has a USB port for charging during cloudy weeks. Pictured is the robot's small solar panel, fitted onto its roof
The Tertill's sensors target small plants, so gardeners must fit their young saplings with special collars to stop the robot from chopping them down
'When the weather is right for your crops to grow, weeds will grow too - and usually faster,' developer Joe Jones wrote in a blog post on the Tertill.
'Gardening should be fun. I’m working to develop Tertill so that I can enjoy planting, tending to crops, harvesting them, and enjoying the fruits - and vegetables and flowers - of my labor, without worrying about missing a day of weeding.
'The solution that Tertill [will] eventually provide is to make gardening easier and more productive for the entire spectrum of home gardeners - novice, experienced, procrastinator, bad back, lazy, or vacationing.'
Creator Franklin Robotics is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Tertill on June 13, with the robots priced at around $300 (£230) each. Pictured is a prototype design for one of the weeding machines
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