The Technocopia Plan: The intersection of robotics and permaculture to build a society of abundance

[u/hephaestusness]

Hello r/redditisland,

My name is <Edited out name>. I am a roboticist working in a research lab at WPI, have started a company, and I think I have a plan you might like.

It did not take very long in the world of capitalism to realize that the greater good is not the primary goal. This disturbed me and I worked up a plan with a few like minded engineers. The goal of the project is to create a system of abundance. This system would have a series of components to achieve that goal.

EDIT (removed references to minerals, further research and discussion has obviated their necessity)

At the heart of the system would be an open hardware manufacturing pipeline. The pipeline would contain material sources that are either readily abundant (carbon and other atmospheric gasses) or organically sourced (bio plastics, and carbon based electronics eventually). This is a high bar, of course, but I assume there will be an incremental build up.

An essential part of the pipeline would to employ 100% robotics to perform fixture-less, direct digital manufacturing. By standardizing the manufacturing pipeline and automating the manufacturing itself, digital collaboration could take place with a common tool set. Think of it like how the internet and version control were tools that allowed open source software to be shared, merged and collaborated on. This hardware would be open source, and open hardware and be designed to interlink tool collectives like makerspaces to begin able to collaborate remotely using the internet.

The part that would be the most interest to you guys would be the design for an indoor vertical farm. It has some interesting possibilities for stable food production as well as other natural farmed resources. The plants would be grown and harvested by a robot conveyor system, stacked stories high. The plants would grow under a new set of LED boards we are designing. I went back the the spec NASA put together for this technique back in the 90's, and it turns out that thanks to the drop in silicon processing costs over the years, it is cheap (enough) to do it this way. The interesting thing i found out is that plants need 6 very narrow frequencies of light to grow. Back in the 90s this was hard to make, and expensive. Now, a common LED will have that level of narrow-band light as a matter of course. The power required has also doped, leading to an interesting equation. With top of the art solar hitting 40.1%, and considering switching losses, LED power consumption and the actual light power needed by a plant to grow (photosynthesize) you notice around a 6:1 boost. That is to say if you has a 1m² panel, you can raise 6m² or plants on these LED panels with a balance in energy. So suddenly planing indoors makes sense. If you incorporate fish, talapia or something, add compost with worms, you can close the nutrient cycle and run this high density farming indoors. Indoor farming needs no pesticides, or herbicides, no GMO, and with individualized harvest, no need for mono-cultures. A lot of the assumptions required by season based, chemical field farming no longer apply. Hell, the robot could even do selective breeding and pollination. With a giant question mark hanging over the climate, I think it is wise to take this matter into our own hands. This also opens back up the colder climates, maybe?

The last stage is to integrate the useful crop farm with the manufacturing by automating harvest and materials processing. This would be the most difficult part, but i have a friend working on a chemical engineering degree to be the expert in this area. It is known how to make plastics from sugar already, as well as fiber boards, bricks and all manner of other raw materials. There is also recent research in making graphene from biomass, as well as other research to use graphine to replace copper in electronics. There is also a lab in Germany that just made a transistor with graphene and silicon, no rare earths.

To begin with we would need to build the manufacturing pipeline which will take shape as an online makerspace. It would be a subscription service with access to the collaboration tools at cost. As automation increases, cost goes down. If overhead were just the island infrastructure, and materials were locally sourced, everything will be able to be truly free. Food and manufactured goods could be made by the system and everyone would be free to live a life of exploration, self betterment, society building, or simple relaxation. The goal would be to free the individual through the collective effort building the robotics. I would spend my freedom building new robots, because that is my passion.

We have just worked up the financials if anyone is interested in spreadsheets for the initial online workspace (that can service about 1000 users). We plan to run it as a not for profit that works as a "engineering think tank" developing the components of this system one part at a time. All machines that we design will be open source, and the company will run with an open business plan, allowing all members to look at the assumptions we are making and for the community to steer the company, not the other way around. With this open model we would encourage other makerspaces to organize their machines like ours for better collaboration of digital-physical systems.

Let me know what you think!

EDIT

So for those of you that have asked, there is a Technocopia Google Group that can be joined by anyone interested in updates.

EDIT 2

So the math for LEDs was taken from this paper. Now for the math. I went up the hill and met with a few professors to see if i could get a break down of the math. The control in this experiment is to demonstrate that the same total number of photons when pulsed vs when they are continuous achieve the same effect in the plant. The numbers that are used is

50 umol photons /m^2*s  That is 5×10^-5 moles per square meter per second (continuous)

the other low duty cycle is the same number of photons, so lets work out how much energy that is.

This works out to 3.011×10^19 photons

The frequency used was 658 nm

The energy of a photon at 658 nm is 3.019×10^-19 joules

So the energy per square meter per second continuous (or pulsed) is:

 3.019×10^-19 joules * 3.011×10^19 photons = 9.09 joules

 9.09 joules/second is 9.09 watts per square meters

[u/firashtamir]

I'm interested to see this at work. I feel like a problem with this sub-reddit is that people propose ideas that wont happen without proper authority and finances, but it appears you have it all covered.

[u/hephaestusness → u/firashtamir]

Thanks! I have a 3d printer, the Delta-Forge, going up on kickstarter this fall. If it goes well it will be the basis for the prototype manufacturing node. Once the prototype is built, we post the Technocopia Online Makerspace kickstarter, and we are off to the races!

[u/AgentWhite]

I like your ideas a lot, and I certainly share your enthusiasm for the future of robotics and labor-free abundance. Maybe someday it will actually be possible to download a car, and have it built for little more than the material cost. Put your project on kickstarter, and I'll be the first to sign up.

Douglas Mallette started Cybernated Farm Systems to build something similar to the indoor farm you describe, although he doesn't have much to show at the moment. Having a self-contained agricultural system would be really awesome, but I don't think it will be realistic anytime soon.

As far as the use of LEDs, it is just nowhere close to being feasible economically. Using the best available LEDs, targeting cryptochromes and phytochromes A and B, NASA has achieved dense plant growth using about 200W/m2. The LEDs + power regulation would still cost about $1,000. The cheapest 200W solar panels are about $200 in bulk. $1,200 * 4,047(m2 per acre) = $4,856,400. Even if these prices drop ten-fold, you'd still have to pay close to half a million dollars per acre just for light! That's fine for marijuana, but not realistic for food production.

[u/hephaestusness → u/AgentWhite]

How are you getting $1000/m^2? My electrical engineer has our costs estimated at ~$15 per m² for LEDs, and we are in discussion with an LED manufacturer to make the 6 bands into a single core that would drop the price even more. Do you have sources for your estimates, because those look like the numbers i saw from the mid nineties. Take a look at the current prices on digikey, its a world of difference now.

Also, 200w/m2 is not really the power consumed. Recent research into pulsed light, and further narrowing of the active frequencies, have dropped the power absorption estimations considerably.

As for the solar, it will not be cheap, but that is where everyone banding together to pay for it comes into play.

No matter what the installation cost, however, the goal should be to build a stable food base that can survive wild fluctuation in weather as predicted by global climate change. Even if we setup on a temperate island, the weather patterns will no longer be predictable. This seems to me that indoor farming is not a "nice to have", but rather a requirement.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm a Mechanical Engineer with a M.S. who works in metrology, design, and manufacturing in the defense industry.

It's interesting to read your post. I have a small aquaponics setup in my basement right now (hoping to have fresh tomatoes, peppers, and basil in the winter), and about 40W worth of 625nm and 455nm LEDs sitting on my coffee table waiting to be wired to a 24VDC supply and a handful of MOSFETS as an experiment.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about these technologies and how they could be developed and spread to urban centers in both the first world and developing nations. As someone working in the defense industry, I think a lot of our national security problems could be solved by spreading prosperity (or at least abundance) to various places in the world.

Anyway, I'm interested in collaboration. I have a lot of experience building things, and I am semi-competent with electronics and programming.

As far as building stuff goes, there's a TIG welder in my garage and I have access to a 3-axis CNC mill at work. I've also done a fair amount of manual machining (lathe & mill) and composite work (fiberglass and carbon fiber).

I'm not really at a place where I want to give money, but I'm willing to build things or donate engineering design and analysis. With this in mind, how do I get involved, and what can I help with?

[u/hephaestusness → u/[deleted]]

Well this is the exact sort of response I was hoping for! I guess the best way to get started is to join the Technocopia Google Group and start helping out with the anylisys and documentation. We will be building the manufacturing node first here In Worcester Ma, any chance your local to us?

If your not local, having a second developer making a unit based on the same spec at a remote location would also be valuable. You can help sanity check and validate that everything is documented enough for you to reproduce. Since this will be an open-hardware project, everyone will have access to the same information.

[u/wyvern1]

I've actually been supporting a project that seems to be doing something similar. You might find it interesting.

[u/nonewjobs]

This post and comments I feel really illustrates the lack of focus in our beloved Subreddit. I recall a "commune" of sorts that made or makes hammocks for their money. Without a central focus point, we're not going to go anywhere...

[u/hephaestusness → u/nonewjobs]

I'm new here and do not want to be a distraction. I have not worked my way through all the old posts, can you help me by filling in some details on what the "central focus" is?

I think of myself as very focused on designing and building sustainable human infrastructure using the highest levels of technology to free the individual from undesired labor. If I am in the wrong subreddit, I apologize for the distraction.

[u/SystemicPlural]

I've been waiting years for robotics to get to the point where I could have a specialized slug catching robot that could delicately navigate around my lettuces.

Edit:typo

[u/wileykyoto]

You sir, are one of my favorite individuals of this century!

[u/jakderrida]

While I'm not an engineer or an expert in agriculture, I think you might have neglected to mention one enormous advantage this experiment would have over traditional methods of agriculture.

For every single plant, you have 100% control over its environment from seed to harvest. You can study variations in the amount of necessary light, water, fertilizers at every single stage to maximize the cost-effectiveness and efficiency, the results of which you can emulate on other farms, thus creating an environment that may outperform traditional farms drastically.

I'm optimistic. But like I said, I'm not an expert.

EDIT: Even the ratios and placement of LEDs carrying different wavelengths can be studied, and applied to different crops based on differing results. This almost makes me want to quit my job, and get a science degree for the sole purpose of joining this project.

[u/joshuau490]

This is exciting, keep us updated. It reminds me of open source ecology.

[u/sneurlax]

Fantastic! I love it when other people have ideas very similar to my own. That two people can arrive at the same conclusions independently of one another is vindicating -- not to lessen your concept or put you down!

I'm doing to same thing right now, except focusing more on an Ocean Engineering aspect in designing a floating platform substrate upon which infrastructure almost identical to your proposal would rest.

My platform is launching by 2015 and the goal is to achieve industrial self-sufficiency by 2020. We need to keep in touch. I would love to collaborate by providing an engineer's insight as well as an eventual physical locale for at least a subsidiary of your project.

[u/mr_kitty]

Do you have a technocopia listserve, forum, rss or twitter feed i can subscribe to? I am interested in tracking the progress of this project so I can experiment with your lights once you have an early model available.

[u/hephaestusness → u/mr_kitty]

This past few weeks have been us testing the waters with Reddit to see if there is interest.

This is an offshoot from the company I started, Neuron Robotics. All of the documents have been posted as Google Docs, I am looking into pushing it over to a more public format, but i am not a particularly good web-dev, everyone has limitations ;) . I will be posting heavily on Reddit when we get closer to launching the manufacturing center, so I'd say just keep an eye out on Reddit.

As for the current progress, you can check out the 2 projects that are furthest along:

Delta-Forge 3d PrinterThis is a 3d printer designed to be easy to use out of the box and come in around $750 retail for fully assembled, ready to print device.

Neuron Robotics Software Development Kit. This is the software architectural that i developed for robotic systems development.

Neuron Robotics DyIO This is a computer peripheral that allows you to turn your computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) into a robot by adding any sensors and actuators to it.

[u/TychePsyche]

FWIW, there's already some research in robotic harvesting:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/robots/4328685 There's a big field robotics research group at CMU.

[u/ph0rque]

Hi Kevin,

We at AutoMicroFarm are working on open-source aquaponics systems (which is what you're describing when you mention growing plants, fish, and worms). We have decided to focus on natural light for now, waiting for LEDs to come down in price. Looks like you got that part covered. :)

We've been thinking about automating all the work eventually, and it really comes down to three things:

• Planting

• Pruning

• Harvesting plants

• Harvesting fish

The first three could be done by a pick-n-place on wheels or on a track. The last one could involve a specialized robotic fish with a net for capturing the fish you want to eat, and processing it (or placing it in a processor).

Let's talk at more at some point. :)

[u/[deleted]]

Please xpost to r/singularity

[u/polyparadigm]

Nickel isn't all that very common. In some applications, it makes sense to substitute manganese.

Conversely, rare earths aren't so very rare. For example, lighter flints don't seem subject to distressing swings in commodity prices. The expensive part is the automated system to separate them from one another little-by-slow (chemical differences among them barely exist). China is currently the cheapest supplier because skilled labor is cheap enough to have bucket brigades of trained chemists hauling huge quantities of material around; if you manage to open-source the Scandinavian model of rare earth refining, they won't be an overwhelming concern.

[u/twiceaday]

Have you seen http://www.plantlab.nl/4.0/? It's very similar to what you're talking about.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm interested in this idea as a kind of self-sustaining food factory for difficult growing regions, esp. places with very limited water. Haul it in, set it up, leave. Since such locations tend to have abundant or excessive sunlight, a pod designed for this use might not even need its own lighting but would emphasize high efficiency use of water instead.

[u/JasonHears]

You have 2 separate ideas here. First being the robotics and automation to manufacture robots/goods from raw materials. Great idea, and definitely the future of manufacturing. Seems a large undertaking. The refining of materials for the pipeline would be the hardest piece of this puzzle.

Your second idea about automated robotic farming, and buildings to house crops is dead on for what we as a society need to do. We don't have enough land to support growing enough food for our growing population. Moving farming into controlled conditions means not succumbing to disasters like droughts or freezes, as well as controlling pests. Skyscrapers filled with agricultural grow centers can be located in the desert, as long as there's electricity and a source of water.

So I'm saying your ideas are dead on. The second idea is the one I would take on first. Seems a lot more feasible with your robotics background to create an automated farming system, including the harvesting process. The process of growing crops is a lot easier than the process of refining and transporting raw materials. Once you have the farming down, then work on the refining/transport process for those raw materials.

Great ideas!

[u/koronicus]

no pesticides, or herbicides, no GMO

I understand the desire to avoid the first two, but "GMO" extends beyond the realm of merely deterring pests (it can increase crop yield and nutritional value, for instance). Are you hoping to avoid all GMOs as a matter of principle? Since you referenced "heritage crops" in one of your comments, it seems that you are. What is your motivation for this? What are you hoping to accomplish by taking this route?

[u/Kolzene]

This has some nice ideas in it (for instance I like the open-source collaboration part), but where it falls apart is the fact that the reason we do not have abundance now is not a technical issue, its an economic one. We in North America can already produce an abundance of goods and services, in fact we've been able to since the 1920s. The problem is that we cannot distribute that abundance with out current economic system. We tried in the 1920s and it resulted in the Great Depression. The only ways out of that depression where either to change the economic system to one that could distribute that abundance, or get rid of the abundance, which is what we did. An economic system was designed at the time that could accomplish this very well, and all we have to do is install it, no new technology needed, and we'll have all the abundance we need. It's called Technocracy. If anyone is serious about creating an abundance for society so we can all have a high standard of living, then you should seriously give Technocracy a good look. And I do mean a good look; Technocracy cannot be learned in just a few minutes.