automatic

.obsidian/workspace.json

@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@
             "state": {
               "type": "markdown",
               "state": {
-                "file": "Shop/SHOP-PUNCHLIST.md",
+                "file": "Stephen's Salt Idea.md",
                 "mode": "source",
                 "source": false
               },
               "icon": "lucide-file",
-              "title": "SHOP-PUNCHLIST"
+              "title": "Stephen's Salt Idea"
             }
           }
         ],
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@
   },
   "active": "9b0b3e8895143802",
   "lastOpenFiles": [
+    "Shop/SHOP-PUNCHLIST.md",
     "27Oct2025.md",
     "Shopping List.md",
     "Stephen's Salt Idea.md",
@@ -178,7 +179,6 @@
     "Habits and Orarion.md",
     "Amazon Running Returns List.md",
     "28OCT2025.md",
-    "Shop/SHOP-PUNCHLIST.md",
     "Shop/Wishlist for writerdeck.md",
     "stockcropper/SC-PUNCHLIST.md",
     "stockcropper/stockcropper.md",

Stephen's Salt Idea.md

@@ -1,7 +1,64 @@
-## Problem Statement
+## Problem and rough solution
+Salt is vastly overapplied to parking lots and other places in the winter. This has a number of problems:
+- Causes damage to vehicles and property
+- Causes environmental damage
+- Could eventually lead to stricter regulation
+- Expensive in terms of raw materials
+Additionally, the application is a nontrivial labor expense.
+
+Could we reduce the amount of salt we applied with precision, potentially automated, application?
+- By taking readings of the parking lot (either with IR temp sensors, cameras, or a fusion thereof), we could apply salt at a variable rate.
+- By having an automated/robotic system we could apply salt on a more regular basis, reducing overall salt usage
+- By being able to swap/adjust between different media of salt (coarse, fine powder, or brine) we could further drive salt usage down
 
 ## Numbers & Napkin Math
 
+(I'm just putting what I recall from our brief call - please correct these numbers)
+
+- 2.3 pounds per 1000 sqft at 30F
+- at 16F that usage can triple
+- so 2.3 - 10 # / 1000 sqft; average at 6 let's say
+
+There might be 12 (?) applications of salt per season?
+Parking lots are obviously quite variable. 
+- A walmart parking lot might be 320,000 sqft (x12x6/1000 = 23,000 # of salt / season)
+- A midsize lot might be 40,000 sqft (x12x6/1000 = 2,900 # of salt / season)
+- A much smaller lot might be 10,000 sqft (x12x6/1000 = 720 # of salt / season)
+
+
+## Clarifying Questions
+- How do you deal with cars in the lot? Do you just salt traffic lanes?
+
 ## Potential Solutions
+	These aren't necessarially good ideas
+		You gotta throw weird shit out there and let it marinade
+
+#### "Big Snow Roomba"
+- An automated robot around the size of a zero-turn lawnmower
+- Heck it might *be* the same platform as a robotic lawnmower. This problem is already solved/being solved by others.
+- Holds a capacity of 320 pounds of salt (for a 320,000 sqft walmart parking lot)
+	- (how do you deal with the fact that you have cars?)
+- Manually refilled at end of day -OR- mates with a docking station to get more salt/brine and power
+- Has IR sensors and cameras to read ground condition
+- Has fancy salt spreader that adjusts on the fly in response to changing ground condition
+
+#### "Smart Spreader" / "Precision Salting"
+Bring the basic idea of precision planting tech (and I would imagine, also exists on spreaders) to salt spreading.
+- Add-on / replacement spreader for existing salt trucks
+- Spread salt in a more even pattern
+- Improved accuracy of dosing
+- Sensors on front of truck read ground condition and set dosing parameters accordingly
+- Optional GPS/RTK system helps operator hit all regions of a lot
+	- Automatic shutoffs 
+- Really fancy CANBus system taps into engine and sets a speed limit for drivers
+
+#### "Zero Turn Salter"
+- Retrofit (add-on kit for?) a manual zero-turn mower that has the ability to spread 100# of salt at a time
+- Use some of the same "smart spreader" tech
+
 
 ## Existing Solutions
+- Thad: talk to BCS and understand what already exists and is in use in the ag world for application
+- Capra Hircus Saltnex
+- www.thesnowbot.com / www.yarbo.com
+-