Gardening robot 'TrimBot' designed by scientists

A new robot that could help around the garden is being worked on by scientists.

The TrimBot is a new robo-gardener which is able to undertake simple tasks such as pruning roses, cutting hedges and even topiary.

Developed from a Bosch Indego robot lawnmower, the new machine has five pairs of stereo cameras that provide a 360 degree view of a garden. TrimBot then navigates with a user-defined garden map and 3D scene analysis. For trimming, the robot scans the bush shape first before using the right blades for the job.

TrimBot is the first outdoor robot prototype for automated gardening and is funded by the European Commission Horizon2020. The University of Edinburgh is the project coordinator and fellow partners include Robert Bosch GmbH, University of Amsterdam, University of Freiburg, University of Groningen, ETH Zurich and Wageningen University and Research.

The technology used for the robot is similar to that of some self-driving cars, which means the robot can localise itself within a map and avoid obstacles.

The robot has successfully completed a few centimetres of trimming on a boxwood bush. The intention behind the machine is that it will ultimately be able to support farmers, maintain communal green space and help people garden who have mobility issues.

But how much would the technology be used in gardens across the world is still debatable.

Would you use Trimbot?