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Not exactly on topic, but... one of my future startup ideas is a robotic garden: basically, some kind of a transparent container with a controlled atmosphere and temprature, watering system, and nutrient supply that would produce a supply of fruits/vegetables year-round in any location.



I've seen those 'kitchen gardens' on infomercials.. 'just 3 payments of $49.99'. You can grow your own lettuce.

Would be cool if you could actually create something that would sustain a family - it will be difficult to find produce that will yield well for many conditions without expending a ton of energy to control its environment though.


You don't need a year-round supply of fresh fruits/veggies. Just need to be able to preserve the out of season stuff.

I used to have those grand plans of automated gardens until I realized that 90% of the problem is solved by a small greenhouse you can build for $10 in Home Depot materials.


There is an Israeli company that has built a 'farm-scale' robotic hydroponic system. They presented at an investment conference I went to a few years ago. The unit kind of looked like a big Dalek. I can't remember their company name, but a few minutes on Google might turn them up...


Someone's beat you to it: http://visualrecipes.com/51/aerogrow-aerogarden-review-read-...

It doesn't control atmosphere, but it doesn't need to.


Well, this would be the next iteration; and it wouldn't need as much light, since it would be outside. You might consider it a cross between the product you linked to (http://www.aerogrow.com) and another company that produces robotic greenhouses (can't find the link right now).




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