Last Update: November 2007

Latest News: 1st version of logo/mascot farm robot is complete. More versions to come.

• November 2007 now over 926 photos on my website with a new format centered on Scuba Diving Sites and the life forms found there.
• April 2007. Removed a few older images, and added some more new ones. Just over 763 in total now.
• Nov 2006 Finally completed 1st version of a logo/mascot farm robot to promote the project, and to sell on T-Shirts,etc...
• Oct 2006 Over 592 photos now on my website.
• July 2006 Now have a good job that will help me put more of my own money into the projects as well as fund side items to raise more money. Over 468 photos posted now!
• June 2006 Over 380 photos of underwater life from the Vancouver-Victoria-Nanaimo region now posted on my web site. http://www.robots4farms.com/scub adivingpictures.html

Click on the small images (500x375) to have the thumbnails (mostly) replaced with an image that takes up most of your screen. Larger images will mostly be 1024x768 in size.

• Jan 2006 Did six weeks of overtime to buy myself a digital camera and underwater housing. Lots of people have over the years told me I should buy a camera so that I could show them some of the wonderous things I see under water. Check out my web site extension at : http://www.robots4farms.com/scub adivingpictures.html

Quite a few pictures now available. If you right click on them and save the image you will get an image that takes up most of your screen or more. Depending upon your screen size. Pictures of crabs, fish, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, starfish, ...

• Oct 2005 Clarification on my first step goal: To build a remotely operated vehicle [ROV] in the first year, and then convert it to an automated robot over the next year. Start of automation will of course occur in the first year, but in reality will be an ongoing project - forever.

Short Plant Robot (using bicycle tires - depends on soil type): This robot has an arm with a limited range of motion but this means it can be programmed more easily, and therefore would be faster at removing pests. Solar panels would provide most of the energy. Missing from this drawing is the solar cell and tire cleaners. Two problems associated with working in a farming environment.

Orchard Robot: Designed to reach into trees to remove harmful insects and monitor the trees for fungal infections, and other diseases.

More details on my website: http://www.robots4farms.com

• Aug 2005 Have stopped working on hobbyarm and will now concentrate strictly on skills to get me a better job, and that ultimately help me to develop skills to bring the farm robots into existence. Better job means I could support my own research - although it will mean I will have less time to do so. Catch 22. Doh!
• May 2005 Will soon have completed my updated version of my farm robot website with some help from another former student of UVic.
• Dec26/04 My projects are mostly based around the fact that I'm pursuing research into robot eyes and arms. Once developed such tools can be applied to many projects. From my original interest in robots to process garbage to reduce the amount that ends up in land fills, farm robots and devices to aid the phsyically challenged. Although I've not talked about devices for the physically challenged until now as I've been more excited about pursuing products that affect more people and help the environment.
• Nov22/04 I have a computer now with USB 2.0. Not quite for free. But a VERY GOOD deal. From my previous boss who was liquidating. Still amazed as the value of the ram alone is what I paid for the whole computer. (Minus a display but I already had one.) This computer would be fine for a concept prototype, but not for an actual field testable prototype for the much more efficient herbicide sprayer.

Main interests

1. Robots to avoid use of pesticides/herbicides by catching bugs and pulling weeds (Longer term project.)
2. Robots to reduce use of pesticides/herbicides by using them more sparingly.
3. Robots used to help reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills by helping sort it.
4. Robots to reduce fertilizer use by spreading it more sparingly. (Rivers experience fish deaths due to excessive fertilizer run off that results in high algae populations. When the algae die the bacteria decomposing them reduce the oxygen content drastically.) That and excess fertilizer is a known cancer causing agent.

Who Am I and what I'd like to do

Just finished a Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. I also have a diploma as a Robotics & Automation technologist. Originally was looking at using robots to process garbage to reduce the amount that ends up in landfills, but while I was doing my diploma in Robotics I realized that the same technology that could be use to manually go through garbage could be used to pick up insects or pull weeds. I started thinking about how to develop robots to reduce the use of pesticides & herbicides.

Actually there are a few spin off projects that are all related to robotics and image processing. Which is why I've listed some additional ones in the BizzPlanBuzz group. Including an wire controlled arm for attaching to wheel chairs. Been toying with that idea for some time. Looking at an arm just to lift around five pounds. Which would be enough to reach up and grab stuff off a shell or put on a shelf. Eventually the "smarter" you can make it the more it can help people who are limited in mobility. A couple other people I graduated with in Robotics were also hoping to apply such technology to help people with limited mobility.

Like I was saying, I started thinking about how to develop robots to reduce the use of pesticides & herbicides. Either thru the more efficient use of these toxins or preferably by using the robots to manually remove pests and weeds. November update: See my Personal News. New strategy. Working on new design to do more good with less resources.

I've started a workspace in the Technology group for you to propose ideas about what farm robots should be able to do, or any other info you'd like to pass on.

My website: http://www.robots4farms.com

Two possible financial scenarios at the bottom of the page.

As of July 2006 I now have a pretty good job and will be able to speed up the process of building my first ROV/Robot. But will have to try and raise additional funding thru the sale of goods. Money will be used to buy parts and software. And potentially employee me and other people to dedicate a lot of time to the projects.

On a side note - I really wanted to be a biologist but realized early on no one was going to pay me to study the things I'd really like to. Such as the lives of octopi, chameleons and puget sound king crabs. Just to name a few. But by pursing engineering I've already run into biologists who would like me to help them pursue various goals of theirs by developing technology for them. So in the end I may get to work on the kind of biology projects that I'd like to.

Some of my favourite books:

(1)When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey M. Masson & Susan McCarthy

Wow! This book really makes one re-think the whole issue of anthropomorphism. Almost any pet lover could tell you that pets experience real emotions and so-called professionals scientists often have an ulterior motive to deny that dogs,... have real emotions.

(2)The Sex Life of Flowers by Bastiaan Meeuse & Sean Morris

This book is another example of "the truth being stranger than fiction." Few people realize how complex the lives of flowers and their pollinators are.

(3)Crossing the Chasm by Geoffry Moore

This book points out the difficulty faced by a new product when traversing the barriers of moving into the next profitable buyers group. The problem lays in appealing to the various groups; Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards. Each potential customer group must be appealed to and only after the previous group has been dealt with appropriately.

More about me:

One of my favourite quotes: "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." From Lao Tzu quotes (Chinese taoist philosopher, b.600 BC). I believe we are also likely to make changes to the benefit to all living things on this planet by starting with small steps/projects. Some will grow to make a big difference but rarely will they start out that way. They will likely start out small and develop, if successful, into a project that has a significat impact.

Favourite hobby is underwater photography! If you ever wanted to go to another world just take up scuba diving. Wow!

Other hobbies. I periodically like to hatch amphibian eggs. Either frogs, toads or salamanders. Nice thing about frogs and toads is you can use fish food to feed them. While with salamanders you need to limit their numbres in an aquarium as they can turn cannibalistic. Also with amphibians you want to limit their numbers to avoid possibility of disease. Many people will tell you not to raise them because of the potential for releasing diseased animals back to the wild. Limiting their numbers should prevent this. The only problem with salamanders is they need live food. Fresh water rinsed brine shrimp can be used, as well as water daphnia and very small earth worms. Live blood worms could also be used as long as the dealer is reputable. With brine shrimp I would use a tiny light at night to attract them to the bottom of the tank at night to bring them close to the salamanders.

Also I have dabbled in writing science fiction and have one patent to my credit. Waiting to file others.

I worked under the directon of the B.C. Conservation Foundation and Ducks Unlimited for over a year(1986). Yes, DU is a hunters group but they also have a vested interest in keeping places wild and healthy. Worked on a 5 kilometre hiking trail on the side of a mountain over looking Pitt Meadow Marsh and also aided in the construction of three viewing pavillions along the trail for everyone to be able to do some bird watching. And we did few other small projects for them as well.

Contract out start of farm robot project and/or start more efficient herbicide sprayer

More interested in working on technology that would help me develop skills for the farm robots but other possible projects listed.

• (Scenario 1 for directly to Farm Robots) To work directly on the farm robots for an estimated time period of one year would take about $108,000 CDN in wages [for 3 people - $36,000 per year per person] and about $80,000 in parts and software. So around $200,000 CDN for 1 year. To start off producing a simple Remotely Operated Vehicle that would begin to be converted to an autonmous robot at the end of the first year. Also would like $25,000 to apply for next patent to hopefully help fund the robots. I would keep my existing job and use the money to hire others to work on the project. When I'm not at my normal job I would work with the other people. Mostly students needing work terms or recent graduates looking for a first time job. See http://www.robots4farms.com for more details and plans.
• (Scenario 2 for directly to Farm Robots) To work directly on the farm robots for an estimated time period of one year by one person [or 3 four month terms by students] would take about $36,000 CDN in wages and about $44,000 in parts and software. So around $80,000 CDN for 1 year. To start off DEVELOPING some of the systems for a simple Remotely Operated Vehicle that could then be converted to an autonmous robot at some later point. Also would like $25,000 to apply for next patent to hopefully help fund the robots. See http://www.robots4farms.com for more details and plans.
• (Scenario 3 for a more efficient herbicide sprayer) Start with just enough funds to have a recent grad student [or student requiring a work term] to design and research a more efficient herbicide sprayer and if possible to apply for a patent for it. Probably around $36,000 for a years time for one person [or 3 four month work terms] and another $14,000 for the patenting of it and travelling to various farms for research.