High school students building automated gardening system

Students and teacher Britton Van Heule are using the former auto shop space in the Vocational Building to build a new kind of gardener, a "farm bot."

Van Heule explained the bot uses a grid system for a vegetable garden, with the programming done by the student. The bot plants the seeds, waters them, and even pulls and kills weeds. Van Heule noted the bots can be ordered from a company in California, and even NASA is considering using them on some of their projects.

As for the assembly, Van Heule said it took a couple days to build the bed and the students have been working diligently to put together the bot. The main bot sets atop a bar and can move from one side of the bed to the other on one plane, while the bar can move on another, allowing the bot to move anywhere on the grid system. Underneath the bed is the central computer system controlling the actions.

While the bot at the high school will remain inside due to the size, Van Heule noted they can also be placed outside and run on solar power. The former auto shop has some southern exposure and he plans to install some grow lights in the ceiling, so they should be able to grow quite a variety.

The students plan to plant everyday garden vegetables, with a goal of being able to provide a salad for the students' lunch some day.