The solar irradiance on Mars is about half that we have on Earth, making it that much harder to sustain plant life. In other words, we’re gonna need some robots.
“Le petit prince” (the little prince) is a miniature greenhouse (concept) intended to walk a plant around Mars’ surface in search of optimal growing conditions—elements from light to nutrients. Eventually the robot masters its environment, sharing growing tips with a whole swarm of bots plant-growing robots.
But the prince is not just a growing machine—the designer and 2009 Electrolux Design Lab finalist considers the bot first and foremost as a “pet” or “silent friend” to keep a colonist company. Of course, when the prince convinces you to come out for drinks on a Thursday night and he’s hanging out with a group of old roommates from his factory days, well, its tough not to feel like a third wheel even if his intentions were sincere. [Tuvie via Treehugger]
Taste Test is our week-long tribute to the leaps that occur when technology meets cuisine, spanning everything from the historic breakthroughs that made food tastier and safer to the Earl Grey-friendly replicators we impatiently await in the future.
Thanks for the laugh….. The energy consumed in sending these guys to mars equates roughly to a tomato costing around $1.5m. Who will water them – and what with? Water at around $1.8m per litre. When you take the lid off to water them.. poor little toms will see a puff of water vapour, as Boyles law dictates that at the low pressures encountered on Mars means that water will boil away into space without a whiff of the poor old tom’s roots seeing a drop of h2o…..One could give an intravenous shot of baby bio, but the gardener will have to be paid approx $12,023,120 per hour.
Chris
August 29, 2009 at 5:59 AM
Thanks for the laugh….. The energy consumed in sending these guys to mars equates roughly to a tomato costing around $1.5m. Who will water them – and what with? Water at around $1.8m per litre. When you take the lid off to water them.. poor little toms will see a puff of water vapour, as Boyles law dictates that at the low pressures encountered on Mars means that water will boil away into space without a whiff of the poor old tom’s roots seeing a drop of h2o…..One could give an intravenous shot of baby bio, but the gardener will have to be paid approx $12,023,120 per hour.
Report PermalinkDrihscol
August 30, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Gladdos is now on mars.
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