Proposal Background 1

Autonomous Plant Care:

A Crash Course

David J. Ortiz Leon

Phoenix College

Humans & Robots

When reflecting on the current climate of robotic advances, it at times seems fantastical. It was only

50 years ago when shows like Star Trek and The Jetsons inserted the idea of robots into pop culture.

The year now is 2018, so it is still surprising that what was once science fiction is now just science.

Robotic advances have been accelerating; from the quadrupedal creations of Boston Dynamics, to the

more eccentric dancing bots funded by Phillip Plein. As for where they stand in the workplace, it is

still in the air. Car factories are almost entirely robot controlled for instance, but from that came the

demand for more engineers to maintain them. That is not to say that jobs were not lost, in fact from

their implementation there was a loss of what is considered labor intensive jobs. Though, like people

they are displaced from work as well, as seen in Japan’s automotive industry robot units peaking at

only 60% of their estimated annual shipments in 1991 (Kusuda 1999,p.358). How could robots not be

on our mind? They help us in far more ways than we think now, and we are only beginning to scratch

the surface of their full capabilities.

Plants , People, and Water

Water is essential to almost every fascite of life, and it is becoming a rarer commodity as the years

continue. This does pose a problem for not only people, but also the plants which provide us oxygen

and food we eat. So it is not a surprise that farming would struggle to persist when we have

droughts taking over states like California. This tied with a predicted water usage for raising livestock

alone increasing by more than 50% in less than a decade is very troubling for humanity's prospects of

sustainability(Rosegrant et al., 2002).  Efforts are being made to counteract these issues, but it seems

that issues keep arising time after time. Look at towns like Flint, Michigan a town which has faced

many issues due to polluted water. Many a village in Guinea, Africa face similar issues of water

being made horribly unavailable due to drought and Companies like Nestle. As issues like this

continue, the public eye is being exposed more to the struggle to thrive. This is only on our end of

the problem, plants too face this problem as global temperatures increase. The difference is though,

that plants are far more susceptible to pollution than that of humans. Even water the plants receive

may do more harm than nurture currently.

Smart Market

These last few years, we have had a surge of “smart” tech. There are of course the practical creations

like a phone controlled home monitoring system,which provide efficiency, security, and are part of a

bigger trend. It is these three traits, (efficiency, security, and relations to current trends) that dictate

advancements in home appliances (Venkatesh Nikosia p.524 1997). The appeal however is a tad

more subjective. Some people find that they just don’t have the time to make such a commitment.

Others, are worried that their lazy or clumsy deminor will cause more accidents around the house.

Whatever the case may be, it is clear that both are finding themselves in the market for such

appliances. Now there is of course the garden as well, often catered by automated watering systems

that are kept secretly below  ground. For many homeowners, these can be damaged by water leaks or

even destroyed by the plants they feed.

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