Make’s Phil Torrone is in Japan, visiting some old blog fodder in person, like this Japan find from 2005. Underneath an office building in the Otemachi business district of Tokyo is an underground rice and vegetable field. Created in a former bank vault, this hidden garden is maintained “using computer-controlled artificial light and temperature management. It was brought into being by a personnel company as a means of providing agricultural training to young people who are having trouble finding employment and middle-aged people in search of a second career.” It’s pretty cool, although it probably uses more energy to keep the garden healthy than it’s worth if you look at what it produces. More photos at Make.
[Trend in Japan via Make]
Is this the sexiest piece of astronomical equipment you’ve ever seen? The Porter Telescope is a limited edition bronze sculpture that also happens to be a very smart piece of engineering. Based on an original design from the 1920s by Richard Porter, it acts as a garden sundial by day and a reflecting telescope by, well, whenever you like (but night is probably best for stargazing). The optics have been redesigned 21st style to deliver the best possible performance.
Naturally, if you’re going for something so serious, you’ll need a marble pedestal to stand it on. You aren’t going to dump this on any old garden table! This happily lives outdoors, too, and will either grow to a cool green like any bronze statue, or you can put in some effort to maintain the sleek brown look.
Cost? A stylish US$59,000. But there’s never been a better time to spend that sort of money. And if you’re happy to spend it, the shipping charges involved probably won’t scare you either. The official site has plenty more details, as well as a link to video on the fabrication and design process. Sexy, sexy geek stuff. [Porter Telescope via Luxist]
newVideoPlayer("waterhobo_gawker.flv", 475, 376); The WaterHobo is a fully automated system that uses an infrared-capable videocamera, a PC and custom software written in C# to search and destroy garden pests. Well, actually, just humans. And it doesn’t destroy them either, it uses water to dissuade people from using its inventor’s yard as the path to a common swimming pool. The current version can even be operated through a remote client using a joystick. The best thing, however, is the automated “Holy Hand Grenade mode.” Its creator is now working on a new version, hopefully with lasers or death rays. [Waterhobo]
If there’s one thing wrong with your lawn, it’s that it’s just too classy. Since when did you get too good for tacky lawn ornaments? You think you’re better than me? Screw you, buddy. You need to prove that you aren’t totally pretentious by getting something like this completely horrible yet somehow amazing solar frog light. It’s a frog, and it glows! Anyone who installs this thing can’t take themselves too seriously. Or they take themselves seriously and have the worst taste in outdoor decorations ever, but I’ll give you more credit than that. • [Product Page]
Why take up all that room in your garage for a lawnmower, leaf collector and snow blower when you can have this three-in-one device that handles all three tasks and only requires a third of the space? Oh, wait. You can’t have this device because it’s just a concept, but its modular design by Gustav Lamberg looks like a good idea, taking care of all of your internal combustion duties with just one noisemaking smoke-belching contraption instead of three.
There’s not much explanation offered with these 3D renderings, but it appears that you attach a different front assembly for each of the three tasks. However, for a lot of the snowfall we see out here in the frozen tundra, that snow blower is not going to be quite tall enough. As a leaf collector, the device is going to need some sort of receptacle, too.
If he takes care of those small details, all Gustav has to do is add solar power, an electric motor with a long-lasting battery and robotic capabilities, and he’ll be on to something here.
Lawn Fun From 3-In-One [Yanko Design, via Crib Candy]
In keeping with our “Laziness in Domestic Chores” theme, we bring you the electric lawnmower shootout. That way we can rid ourselves of all the annoyances of gas mowers once and for all, but still keep our yards in tip-top shape.
Wired tested out four of the latest electric lawnmowers on the market and broke it down real simple. What did they think?
You may not even notice that little round platform on which this gorgeous model is standing, but it’s a Viteo Garden Shower, getting her all wet from the ground up. This was originally one of those design concepts with little chance of finding its way to market, but now it’s actually shipping. Beyond its ability to refresh curvaceous young cuties, how does it work?
These lamps from designers Emi Fujita and Shane Kohatsu are shaped like sunflowers, sort of, and collect solar power so they can light up your garden at night. The best part about these outdoor lights is that they don’t have to be outdoors. You can attach these to the wall, as shown above, and they’ll still do a good job collecting solar energy in order to be used at night.
Check out the gallery for more shots of these pretty lamps. – Jason Chen
galleryPost('coronalamp', 6, 'Corona Lamps');
Project Page [Corona Solar Light via Sci Fi]
The LawnBott may look like Arnold Schwarznegger’s cycling helmet, but it’s actually a cordless, remote-controlled lawnmower with a flat blade that mulches the grass as it cuts it. Charge it up on its docking station and it will go for 4 hours—or 33,000 square feet—on one single charge. It’s apparently so quiet that you can let it run all night without bugging the neighbors, it doesn’t mind a bit of light rain, and a heavier shower will send it toddling back to its base station like the obedient little robot it is.
It does hills—anything up to a 1:4 gradient, in fact—and only uses around $7 to $10 of electricity each year. The downside is the price: the LB2000 Professional will set you back $1,749. – Ad Dugdale
Press Release [Productivity Inc. via Sci-Fi Tech]
Come on, Times. Not only are you guys one of the top newspapers in the world, but now you are taking over the portable gardening database gadget market with this thing. The Garden Expert is a database chock-full of information about gardening. The device scours decades’ worth of gardening factoids from Times gardening columns to find the tough answers you are looking for. Oh, and it looks like a watering can—how cute. $20. –Travis Hudson
Product Page [Via bookofjoe]
