2 new farmbots in July

Any hints as to what these are vertical for vine crops bigger, new stepper motor placements, use of AI for fruit and vegetable placement etc?

I didn’t get the point of this question. Was there even a question inside, and how does it relate to the topic name?

Thanks for getting back to me @Ascend the question is about this-

Oh right, now it makes sense.
Well, why don’t you all (also those sneaky readers) guess how the new FarmBots will differentiate from the Genesis type?
And also feel free to post hardware changes or functions that you would love to see :slight_smile:

As I’ll start this little game, please note that this is not an official statement (just don’t care about that mod sign) :slight_smile:

  • Change the mechanical design of the problematic (in my sight) X-axis. It might be hard to get the rails alligned and the spacers set up properly. One thing that I want to try for a long time already, is the use of pipes in the design of the “mostly printed cnc”(MPCNC). Pipes might be easier to get for diy projects and can be plugged with 3d printed connectors that look like a bolt or a dowel.
  • With the raising weight in the z-axis we might need a stronger motor (NEMA 23?).
  • Mechanical belt tensioners as you can find them in 3d printers.
  • Vacuum sensor to detect if the seed is on the nozzle, and even detect if the seed was lost while moving. I already have this modificationy to check if the low vacuum is even detectable, but I haven’t found a way to get the software working with that.

Alright, I’ve got plenty more of this but I don’t want to take all away from you …
I’d be glad to hear more guesses, predictions and wishes from the community :slight_smile:

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Definitely keen on a better x axis considering accuracy also keen for simpler documentation on the Farmduino and more DIY how to guides. Quieter Z axis. Inbuilt relay. 12 and 24v peripherals.

I think however this announcement is about a new direction/total overhaul.

In one of the blog notes they talked about a home appliance.

Improved UTM with sensors that enable obstacle detection in x and y direction (“safe travel”) and one sensor to measure distance from the soil / surface.

Obstacle detection would make it much more easier to reuse sequences in place based on the height of plants.

Measuring distance to soil (together with the upcoming “variable” feature in FB os) would make it practically possible to set up sequences more universally (e.g. weeding would not mind differences in soil elevation on the plant bed) and also sequences could be shared between farmbots.

If there was variables and soil distance detection in place, I trust web app for stock farmbot kits could even come with a set of default sequences already, so that would shorten time to adoption significantly…

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…lots of these types of obstacle avoidance sensors are part of drones, so that could be an inspiration to look at

https://www.dronezon.com/learn-about-drones-quadcopters/top-drones-with-obstacle-detection-collision-avoidance-sensors-explained/

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So I watched the Express and Express XL video (I couldn’t get good resolution as I was using dodgy wifi). From what I could make out the X axis belt has been replaced with something?

Great news about the new stepper motor drivers and sequence variables as you can probably easily do loops in sequences now using recursion with variables i.e. loop by a sequence calling itself using a variable in an IF to stop.

From what I saw you may be able to upgrade to the Express. I’m sure there’s loads more of improvements I missed. Looking forward to hearing about the differences between Genesis and Express.