Hey 3D printer makers! Ever thought about applying 3D printing concepts to farming? Well, I’ve been working on a project called +FarmBot , which is an open-source automated precision farming machine. Think of it like a giant 3D printer that has a seed injector and watering nozzle instead of a plastic extruder! I just published a white paper about the technology and vision and would love some feedback and some sharing love. Thanks! #FarmBot
Clever, I’ll have to read this. My wife had done extensive work on a farm for domain food, she spent so much time hand planting. Now if only there was a robot wedding system 
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a robot that injects fertilizer into the stem of the weed - this kills the weed but improves the soil. no need to pull the weed and upset the soil as it becomes mulch. (you would probably want to inject before the weed goes to seed)
Good points @John_Said
With the addition of an imaging sensor, any unwanted plants can be detected very early on and killed immediately either with chemicals or physical destruction!
Why is it placed on tracks and not wheels? Sensoring can guide the farmbot. Another question what is special about this bot, above the already existing bots?
Tracks as more reliable (mud, fallen leaves ,ditches) and don’t compact the earth?
blueray lasers can provide adequate heat at a critical point of the weed (it will wilt in a few days) no need for chemicals i guess. laser can charge via solar.
@Bert_Sonnenschein , the choice of tracks is to specifically avoid the “free-driving wheeled tractor” approach that is common today. Sensors could guide the bot, but it would be less accurate and much more expensive. In addition, as @Marcus_Wolschon pointed out, tracks are more reliable and the machinery does not compact the soil by driving over it. Furthermore, using narrow tracks allows for less “machine pathways” to exist which means more area for planting.
Thank you for the comments!
@John_Said how long do you think this would take for 100-200ha?
How much space otherwise used for crops would the solar part take?
How reliable would it be in all weather conditions?
@Marcus_Wolschon I have no idea . Using lasers to subdue weeds isn’t a new concept it would be cool to see it in action… just googled this might provide some info 
@John_Said quote: “Out in the fields, this isn’t at all feasible and in water protection areas where weed control is also needed, it’s nearly impossible.”
@Marcus_Wolschon , John is simply presenting concepts for us to digest, this isn’t exactly a response to an RFQ. There are some holes, but it’s still a decent concept that can be expanded
For weeds how about just using a small torch and burning them. Or inject a large quantity of water into their stem to explode them…lol
As far as weed destruction/prevention goes, there are many possible ways to do it. Lasering them is one I haven’t heard of before but… lasers! How could we not at least try 
Isn’t the concept of a greenhouse to have a transparent Glass roof instead of solar panels?
The are much more efficient in converting sunlight into warm air and light then any solar panel can ever hope to be.
Wheels might work better on uneven terrain / sloping terrain. This will need some kind of adaptation to work on terraced agriculture.
But rails will never be uneven terrain
(Any they work better on terraces then weels ever could)
@Marcus_Wolschon exactly!
@Rory_Aronson Ok there are some pros for tracks, but tracks out in the fields need regular cleaning, so you need an auto-cleaning device on it.
But still 100ha or a 1000ha of crops would need kilometres of tracks. How would that work out investment and maintenance wise?
Maybe you can have the best of both worlds? One direction tracks, mounted on caterpillar wheels that reduce soil compacting. Yes, a set of wheels need a motorand a motor needs maintenance. But I just cannot imagine hundreds of hectares planted with tracks. Maybe mounting it on a drone?
Thinking of drones: hanging the tracks from above and sliding these tracks along other perpindicular tracks. Like the do in large factories. This reduces mud on tracks also.
Cheers