View source for FarmBot

{{short description|Open-source precision agriculture CNC farming project}}
{{Infobox tool
| name           = FarmBot
| image          = FarmBot Genesis indoors.jpg
| caption        = FarmBot Genesis working indoors
| image2         =
| caption2       =
| other_name     =
| classification = Open source farming project
| types          =
| used_with      =
| inventor       = Rory Aronson, Rick Carlino, Tim Evers
| manufacturer   = FarmBot.io
| model          =
| related        =
}}
'''FarmBot''' is an [[open source]] precision agriculture [[Numerical control|CNC]] farming project consisting of a [[Cartesian coordinate robot]] farming machine, [[software]] and documentation including a farming [[data repository]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/02/farmbot/|title=Out in the Open: This FarmBot Makes Growing Food as Easy as Playing Farmville|magazine=Wired|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-01|last1=Finley|first1=Klint}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url=https://hackaday.io/post/7593|title=Details • FarmBot - Open-Source CNC Farming • Hackaday.io|website=hackaday.io|access-date=2016-08-03}}</ref> The project aims to ''"Create an open and accessible technology aiding everyone to grow food and to grow food for everyone."''<ref name=":11" />
== History ==
[[File:FarmBot Genesis Rick Carlino (left) and Rory Aronson (right).jpg|thumb|FarmBot creators Rick Carlino (left) and Rory Aronson (right) building a FarmBot in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]]]
The FarmBot project was started in 2011 by American Rory Aronson whilst studying mechanical engineering at [[California Polytechnic State University]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://agfundernews.com/farmbot-founder-aronson-on-open-source-tech-and-encouraging-consumers-to-farm5832.html|title=FarmBot Founder Aronson on Open Source Tech and Encouraging Consumers to Farm - AgFunderNews|date=2016-05-11|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-26 |title=FarmBot: open-source backyard robot for automated gardening |url=https://faircompanies.com/videos/open-source-bot-plants-maintains-your-garden-when-you-cant/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=*faircompanies |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Open-source automated precision farming {{!}} Rory Aronson {{!}} TEDxUCLA | date=3 July 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CJt4MFn22M |access-date=2023-06-28 |language=en}}</ref> Aronson attended an elective course in [[Organic farming|organic agriculture]] where he learned about a [[tractor]] that used machine vision to detect and cover weeds which removed the need for herbicides or manual labour, the tractor cost over US$1 million.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=FarmBot DIY agriculture robot promises to usher in the future of farming |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/farmbot-diy-agriculture-robot-promises-001518504.html |access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref>
In March 2014 Aronson began working on the project full-time funded by a grant from the [[Shuttleworth Foundation]].<ref name=":0" /> Firmware developer Tim Evers and software developer Rick Carlino later joined the project as core developers. Rory Aronson created the company Farmbot.io to provide hardware kits and software services and to serve as a funding source to maintain the open source community.<ref name=":11" />
In 2014 and 2015, FarmBot was entered into the [[Hackaday]] Prize, where it became a finalist in 2015.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.atmel.com/2016/06/02/farmbot-is-the-worlds-first-open-source-cnc-farming-machine/|title=FarmBot is the world's first open source CNC farming machine|last=says|first=Brian Despain|date=2016-06-02|website=Atmel Bits & Pieces|access-date=2016-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730225746/http://blog.atmel.com/2016/06/02/farmbot-is-the-worlds-first-open-source-cnc-farming-machine/|archive-date=2016-07-30|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hackaday.io/submissions/prize2015/list|title=The 2015 Hackaday Prize • Hackaday.io|website=hackaday.io|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> After nine design iterations, the Farmbot Genesis began [[preorder]]s in July 2016 as the first commercially available version of FarmBot.<ref name=":1" />
== Farmbot Genesis ==
[[File:FarmBot Genesis Watering.jpg|thumb|FarmBot prototype watering for the first time.]]
=== Capabilities ===
The FarmBot Genesis is able to plant over 30 different crops within the same area at the same time and is able to operate indoors, outdoors and in covered areas.<ref name=":9" /> It can perform almost all processes prior to harvesting including [[sowing]], mechanical [[weed control]] and [[Irrigation|watering]]<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=The FarmBot Genesis Brings Precision Agriculture to Your Own Backyard |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/farmbot-genesis-brings-precision-agriculture-your-own-backyard-180959603/?no-ist |access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=13 July 2016 |title=FarmBot Genesis seeds, waters, and fertilizes your garden with life-giving precision |url=http://inhabitat.com/farmbot-genesis-seeds-waters-and-fertilizes-your-garden-with-life-giving-precision/ |access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref> while accounting for factors such as age of the plant and local weather conditions.<ref name=":3" />
[[File:FarmBot Genesis Seed Injection.jpg|thumb|FarmBot prototype planting seeds for the first time.]]
FarmBot Genesis is controlled through a web based interface allowing remote access from any location on most internet enabled devices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://cleantechnica.com/2016/08/01/old-mcdonald-farmbot-io-io-io/|title=Old MacDonald Had A FarmBot, I/O, I/O, I/O|website=[[CleanTechnica]]|date=August 2016|access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref> It uses an online crop database called OpenFarm to create an optimal planting plan based on the size of the adult crop.<ref name=":4" />
=== Components ===
[[File:FarmBot Genesis 3d printed tools.jpg|thumb|All of FarmBot's plastic components are designed to be 3D printed with hobby level FDM printers]]
The Farmbot Genesis is an [[open source]] hardware machine<ref name=":4" /> and is designed around reproduce-ability and  availability of components, it can be created using common tools and processes.<ref name=":11" /> Its electronics stack consists of a [[Raspberry Pi|Raspberry Pi 3]] and [[Arduino Mega]] 2560 with a [[RAMPS]] 1.4 shield and a camera to record data.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=7 June 2016 |title=Arduino Blog – FarmBot is an open-source CNC farming machine |url=https://blog.arduino.cc/2016/06/07/farmbot-is-an-open-source-cnc-farming-machine/ |access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref> The universal tool mount and other tools are [[3D printing|3D printed]] and are designed to be created with hobby level [[Fused deposition modeling|fused deposition model]] 3D printers e.g. a [[RepRap project|RepRap printer]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> It has two electrical connections and connectors for liquid or gas which are magnetically coupled.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=http://www.open-electronics.org/farmbot-the-open-source-farming-cnc-robot/|title=FarmBot the Open Source Farming CNC Robot|website=Open Electronics|date=28 December 2015|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-02}}</ref>
The software for the FarmBot Genesis runs through a web interface allowing the machine to be controlled on most internet enabled devices. All software is available under the [[MIT License|MIT license]] and is available on [[GitHub]].<ref name=":11" />
==See also==
* [[Open Source Ecology]]
* [[RepRap project]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* [https://farmbot.io/ Official product website]
* [http://farmbot.org/ FarmBot Project community website]
* [https://github.com/farmbot FarmBot Github repository]
[[Category:Open hardware electronic devices]]
[[Category:DIY culture]]
[[Category:3D printing]]
[[Category:Engineering projects]]
[[Category:Computer output devices]]
[[Category:Open hardware organizations and companies]]
[[Category:Free and open-source software]]
[[Category:Fused filament fabrication]]
[[Category:Agricultural robotics]]