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Stock Cropper/StockCropper Development Pitch.md

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+Priorities
+
+# #1: Femto (DIY kit)
+
+## + Features
+- Bolt-on module to a DIY barn/pen; will support salatin-style tractors
+- Automation that's fit for leaving for a weekend
+- Mounting for water tank (as ballast)
+
+## ? How
+- Basic automation of movement
+	- Timer-based?
+	- Odometry?
+- Basic automation of steering
+	- Set-it-and-forget-it ...
+	- "Manual vision" (networked camera for aiming, manually pick a target)
+	- Coulters?
+	- Corn/row crop feelers?
+- Mounting for water
+- Solar panel, charger, onboard battery
+- Pushbutton / LCD interface on-device
+- Slow-mode manual vision
+
+## - Probable Limitations
+- No auto-turn-around
+
+## ! Problems
+- Balance of the barn
+- Front-end 'mow through' ability
+- 
+
+## Development path
+- Majorly refine steering system - $2000 of materials, ??? time
+	- Motors / electric actuators - $1000
+	- Frame - $500
+- Solidify drive system - $2000 of materials, ??? time
+- Spec motors and jack and get suppliers - $2000 of materials, ??? time
+- Develop electronics - $2000 of materials, ??? time
+- App development
+- Handoff to electronics CMs
+- Handoff to hardware CMs
+- Find beta-test farmers
+
+8hr sit down and make the perfect design from scratch
+16hr find the best components
+8hr dfm that shit and make drawings
+16hr build the thing, $1000 of materials
+2hr install that shit
+
+-> 1st prototype in 50hr + $1k
+
+5hr go back to the drawing board again and fix it
+5hr dfm the hell out of it
+16hr build the thing again
+
+-> 2nd prototype in 24hr + $600
+
+16hr design the awesome control board bang it out in kicad
+5hr agonize over the control box
+8hr build it all
+
+-> 1st electrical prototype in 30hr + $500
+
+
+
+
+# #2: Pico (Chickens only)
+
+### + Features
+- Same drive module as the Femto
+- Really nice robust chicken tractor
+
+### Development path
+- All the stuff in femto plus:
+- Develop electronics
+- Redesign frame with cost-down in mind
+- 
+
+# #3: Nano (Small multispecies for intercropping)
+
+### + Features
+- Metal barn
+- Pigs on slats
+- Sheep in front
+- Chickens in back
+- Interfaces with standard panels so you can add width
+- 4WD platform. Keep weight on the drive tires.
+
+### Development path
+- 
+
+# Steering
+Ways to do steering:
+- Vision: drive towards a flag / pole
+- Vision: drive towards ground markers
+- Vision: drive along a painted line
+- Vision: drive along a mowed path *so much SWE effort...*
+- "Corn head" feelers (can this work in a broadacre setup somehow?)
+- Taut tether
+- Wheel encoder feedback
+- Dig a trench
+- TOF Triangulation
+- GPS / RTK *can you set up your own RTK base station? Probably. *
+- Follow a buried wire
+- Coulters / stabilizer wheels
+- Coulters *with pressure sensors*
+- Ridge-till
+
+https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0lvag00HYY
+
+Remember you're only using steering a small portion of the time. You *could* use a floodlight in conjunction with retroreflective tape.
+
+This should be non-obnoxious though.
+# Telemetry
+- Why have telemetry? Lets you know if the barn is stuck. Lets you force a move. Maybe you want cameras?
+- Need long range, but not a lot of bandwidth (unless you want video)
+- WiFi isn't the right solution for this, LoRa is
+- Have a LoRa base-station in your office/shed... this could be an internet gateway or a PC-link...
+# Hold the presses. Stop it all. Everything.
+
+Make a walker.
+
+Lots of advantages. So many
+Big problem is how do you turnaround / tow it
+And maybe the answer there is "tow it" for the farmer but not for the homesteader
+_omnidirectional walking mechanism?_
+
+hey lol remember the _screw drive?_ The one Fordson made. Maybe for the nano