Design and Development of Semi-Automatic Solar Weeder

In this thesis an attempt is made to develop a semi-automatic prototype weeder of low cost and ergonomically designed using the renewable energy source. Solar energy is more practical type of energy due to its abundant availability and it is derived directly from the sun. It is a clean, cheap and renewableenergy which is inexhaustible, freely available in adequate quantities. This project implements solar panel, DC motors, battery, rotor shaft, blades, handles and wheels. Complete assembly is resting on adjustable four wheels. Solar panel converts solar energy into electrical energy and this energy is stored in battery. Battery supplies energy to the DC motors for producing rotational mechanical energy to the weeding tool. Weeding tool pulls out the weed along with their roots and aerates the soil. The developed prototype is compact in size & involves a low development cost. It involves a lesser number of parts and least number of manufacturing processes which reduces the cost of product and makes it affordable with mass production. It can be operated by an age group and is tested for is for the field performance and resulted in 0.4 acre per day which is higher when compared to 0.125 acre per day using manual weeding using human labor. Thus, this device saves time and reduces human fatigue and increases productivity.