A PORTABLE PRECISION FLUID PLANTER FOR PRE-GERMINATED VEGETABLE SEEDS

The project's goalis to prove the feasibilityof keytechnical requirements to produce aninnovative portable precision fluid drill for planting single germinated vegetable seeds.The project objectives are to show that 1) modulated compressed air and vacuum can regulate the flow of the seed-gel mixture to accurately extrude a single, plantable seed; 2) a simple, low-cost optical sensor can detect seeds and control flow such that only one seed is deposited at each desired location; and 3) the system works when worn by a user working on common seedbed situations such as bare soil, plasticulture, and no-till.