Recently, a design student has developed an auto-mini robot—A'seedbot that can search through vast deserts, sowing seeds (种子) when it finds a suitable area to plant a tree.
The A'seedbot, created by Mazyar Etehadi from the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, could be a new and creative way to transform deserts into greenery. "Planting trees in the desert area can keep the sand and protect the environment, " said Etehadi. It was launched at the Global Grad Show(GGS), an event that has designers come together to showcase(展示) innovations(创新) that could solve today's environmental issues.
In an area where high temperatures are limiting life, the importance of growing plants is crucial(关键的). Measuring just eight inches long, the tiny robot is equipped with its own solar panels(太阳能板), allowing it to charge during the day and continue working through the night. It can operate all on its own, using its 3D-printed legs to search for viable spots to plant a seed. In doing so, designers seek to understand how roots work and also to design sensors(传感器) that might monitor (监测) soil pollution, prospect(勘探) for minerals and look for water.
The robot has a distance sensor that it uses to send reports back to its controller. The only time humans need to step in is to refill the robot with more seeds. "I think it was an easy solution to come up with, but no one had made it, and here comes my idea! It means a lot to the people who have been fighting against the deserts for generations, " said Etehadi. Going forward, he hopes his idea can be adopted by the government, the farming industry, and private individuals as a more efficient way to grow plants.
