This device corkscrews itself into the ground like a seed

[@10001110101ize]

Would be interesting to know the % germination rate without and with the anchors to see how far mass production technology has to advance to make this a realistic approach.

[@billyberner]

Considering it wasn’t mentioned. Is it possible that the reporter was aware of the %, and opted not to include it because it was low 🤷‍♂️

[@KingMinish]

The paper says that they got an 80% "successful drilling" rate after two cycles of moisture and drying out, but doesn't mention germination rate. In comparable scenarios the actual organic seed that this method is based on achieves a 0% rate within the same number of drying cycles and on the same terrain. Seems like it does what it's supposed to do pretty well. The germination is more up to the seed and the ground conditions, but this pretty much solves the "planting underground" part of the problem.

[@wojomojo]

@@billyberner It is possible, but more likely that you just need to click thru the link in the description the reporter put in and find out yourself.

[@zaidanhakim4974]

@@TramVanDam it's a new technology, just wait

[@CreepyGuy98]

​@@KingMinish the only thing that you can do to help germinate the seeds is to germinate them before hand in a controlled environment then painstakingly plant each individual seed. So yes this only makes mass planting easier but not the germination

[@temporaladvisor3958]

This is incredible. The applications are mind-boggling. From re-forestation to feeding people, this might be exactly what we need.

[@Cineenvenordquist]

This and desalinating ocean water to hydrate dry areas.

[@temporaladvisor3958]

@@Cineenvenordquist I've been seeing this topic crop up more in my feeds. Whatever we do, we have to do it now.

[@mattshu]

Yeah my mind is having trouble wrapping around this idea. Incredible!

[@haveatyou1]

But will it help me get a gf?

[@Magelia]

@@mattshu 10/10 pun. Will laugh again

[@katherinem2896]

Cheaper and easier for common application is "seed balls" or "seed bombs", an ancient invention revived by Masanobu Fukuoka in the early 20th century. Mix seeds (usually several compatible kinds, which aids resilience and avoids monoculture) with compost and other amendments, and simple garden clay, and roll into balls with the hands. When broadcasted the balls protect the seeds from being eaten, drying up, or washing away. They open with the next rain.

[@snowcow1173]

imagine that, pre bury the seeds lmfao

[@mohsenjavadi6826]

there's a fruit that only elephants are able to eat them, when they sh*t them out, it's pretty like this invention, a pile of sh*t with everything a seed love to eat, so that's protecting them from other animals while helping them to grow

[@Philitron128]

Wouldn't the clay eventually ruin the soil?

[@katherinem2896]

What Jake W said, and clay or silt are components of soil (a lot where I live). You can add organics/compost the same way.

[@Philitron128]

@@jakew1362 that's interesting. I wonder if it's viable on an industrial scale. If so, then it seems like an awesome solution. Thanks for the info!

[@Alfonsogoliardo]

These plants with that kind of seed are really common weeds here in Spain, we call them "clocks". The pointy bit is really sharp so it stays on your clothes and coils in real time, from the moment you remove it from the plant itself, which carries the seeds in groups of five, on needle-like structures.

[@gautamnatraj2917]

During wind it circles and buries itself or when does it cork screws itself deeper and deeper?

[@gautamnatraj2917]

I can have a metal screw placed on the sand or loose soil, but it does not screw itself into the ground right?

[@Alfonsogoliardo]

@@gautamnatraj2917 It's explained in the video. If it gains humidity, it will uncoil and if it loses it, it will coil. Also, the long bit makes the whole thing pivot, so it's actually moving a lot.

[@unibamn]

What's the name of the common weed?

[@Alfonsogoliardo]

@@unibamn Erodium cicutarium

[@Skittenmeow]

I know the natural self burying seeds and fear them, they work their way into my dog's coat and drill into skin if not caught very quickly! I'm able to spot my local plants with them and avoid with a wide margin. As a vet nurse I've had to assist in surgery to get them out from relatively deep tracts into tissue, and occasionally they even start germinating in the body. I love the innovative design, but hope they've kept all furry friends (either wild, pets or livestock) in mind when dispersing.

[@aidanwarren4980]

Since they’ve just made this out of wood, without any barbs, it probably won’t stick to fur or fabrics. I could be wrong though!

[@kpp28]

Ah yes what should we prioritise: global food security which will save millions VS potential injuries to some dogs

[@darklightmotion5534]

​@@kpp28 that is not what they said but ok

[@kpp28]

@@darklightmotion5534 my point is these kinds of concerns are negligible and shouldn't be raised at all

[@Soken50]

​@@kpp28 Speak for yourself.

[@GeraldSmallbear]

Sometimes I don't hate the modern world. This is one of those times.

[@barbonson_richards]

Until you realize that the production costs far outweigh the benefits

[@KamaIaForPresident]

​@@barbonson_richards mud balls with seeds in them coated in coco core

[@samuelmatheson9655]

@@barbonson_richards ooof

[@samuelmatheson9655]

@@KamaIaForPresident AC-130 with bullet shaped seed containers

[@antoniovera6484]

We’re not as modern as we once were ,but this is a great start being eco-friendly

[@unvergebeneid]

Amazing. I hope they figure out how to glue all those wood strips to seeds at an acceptable cost.

[@picodrift]

It's literally made from a piece of craved wood there should be no glue involved

[@kayakMike1000]

​@@picodrift he is being facetious, dude. At scale a machine is required to carve the wood just right, then the seed and the wood carving needs to be assembled. Dropping this from an airplane, you probably want some guarantee that the seed isn't going to fall out of the wood carving, a light binder isn't a bad idea. Not to mention, it seems like the carving looks somewhat fragile.

[@charless3108]

​@@picodrift "glue all those wood strips *to seeds* "

[@kritzkrieg14]

@@picodrift while I can see that the one-tailed wouldn't need any glue, the design they proved to be the best is the three-tailed. So maybe they would need something to piece them together?

[@normanmai7865]

Finally! I've been trying to identify this plant for so long because the seeds are so annoying when they get stuck in your clothes and the plant itself is so common!

[@hugh_jasso]

This is amazing! I love that the solution was made from a natural biodegradable materiel. If designed, maybe the spokes could even deliver nutrients as they're breaking down. I would even go as far as to try to overdesign different spokes from different materials to degrade at different rates to deliver nutrients in released boosts over time.

[@arturjogi2667]

Why? You'd be much better off using conventional fertilizer.

[@SciAntGaming]

​@@arturjogi2667 The point ☝️🌠 Your head 👇💀

[@luka3174]

@@SciAntGaming how dare he use common sense!!! 🏹🏹🏹

[@SciAntGaming]

@@luka3174 If he or you actually watched the video properly and used the so called "common sense" you would realise that they are talking about covering vast zones of land with these seeds for reforestation or large scale agriculture via airdrop. If you are doing things on such a large scale via the air, you wouldn't be going in again on foot and manually spreading fertilizer. That would just nullify your initial effort and time saving.

[@puck6080]

​@@luka3174 Good luck fertilizing every forest in the world! Did you ever stop to think that if it was just that easy that scientists would just be doing that instead?

[@sergiom4300]

Its always amusing how the most simple answers are the best solutions to the complicated issues. And almost everytime we can see those taking place in nature. Mother nature is perfect and we should keep learning from it

[@CrispySkinwalker]

Very interesting. A case of biomimicry at one of it's finest. Did a project on this senior year of HS where a group had to develop a product over the course of the year. We went with a hollow biodegradable cone shape to house the nutrients for an array of seeds that could be used for any multitude of purposes. The cone would've maintained an upright position during the drop and hopefully have enough momentum to dig itself into the dirt, providing a protective layer for the seeds to germinate. (The idea was originally designed as a way to boost the effectiveness of mass phytoremediation to clear contaminated soils). Unfortunately, quarantine halted our progress and we never properly finished but this is very refreshing to see much more simple, elegant, and effective designs.

[@hugh_jasso]

Sounds awesome! This would be worth pursuing independently. There's a YT video i watched about the feasibility of airdrop planting trees and a few videos about actual tera-forming a desert, and I've always wanted to combine the two ideas.

[@PunjabiPryde]

Thanks for the idea patent pending in India.

[@Username-le4eq]

​@@PunjabiPryde 😂😂

[@joea3381]

If you own a dog with long fur, watch out for this. It WILL dig deep into their skin, just like it digs through soil. Very painfull and hard to remove. That being said this is a fascinating natural phenomenon.. so cool!

[@Skittenmeow]

Exactly! The amount of times I've had to assist in surgery (vet nurse) to remove these types of seeds often following a 10-15cm tract burrowed into the tissue. I've even seen some begin germination while in the body. Sadly, the worst one was where it got up a German Shepherd's nose and into the brain, unknown to owners. Short window (under an hour) of occasional sneezing that went away, and dog seemed fine. Then a couple of weeks later abnormal behaviour plus seizures that weren't controllable with any epileptic meds. Seizures got worse and worse, sad ending and only because the owners wanted an autopsy (rare request) did we find the culprit.

[@widget9599]

I had never laid eyes on these before, but I unknowingly walked through a bunch of them with my shih tzu while on a hike. Not fun. They didn't go in the skin but were deep in the coat, and the spiral shape made it a nightmare to remove them. We saved one of them and what was kinda neat though was getting one wet, watching it stretch out then watching it spiral back up as it dried.

[@superdread3000]

What about the sensor drop thing they said?

[@User-ry6yl]

In that case it could also be a good way to eradicate stray dogs.

[@adri1leusha]

How to make plants less resilient 101. Looks like a good idea in theory. In practice, when you help plants, they become dependant...

[@christopher1791]

This is the single most useful and innovative yet simple invention that I have seen

[@daniesavage]

That’s actually pretty clean! Kudos to the team 🌱

[@WobbigongSoundSystem]

This is the piece missing from the drone reforestation project, great work to everyone involved. It’s inspiring to see young minds working on saving this wondrous priceless mystical beautiful planet.

[@Parapresdokian]

Finally someone who didn't reinvent the wheels. I appreciate it!

[@K-Fed]

This device was "dropped" into the world's softest, loosest soil, and didn't make any progress. And I put the word dropped in quotations because we never see the device dropped or digging. It's already firmly dug into the ground whenever it was shown working.

[@jcbs]

Kudos to whoever had this idea! Thank you.

[@savesoil3133]

You might also be interested in the #SaveSoil #ConsciousPlanet movement 🌎🌍🌏

[@jukama7671]

I think, I heard about the design competition some years ago. Great to see, that they found a solution that uses no plastic and is this effective!

[@alexcarter8807]

The plant that makes those seeds is called storksbill or "clocks" and the seeds really do work that way. It's very interesting to watch. Basically when it rains, it makes the seeds go into action.

[@Velossitee]

This is pretty cool. I wonder if we could help people in other countries by asking them if they want a tiny farm and we can just deliver seeds whenever on the exact area they wanted it. Good business opportunity and easier for modern farmers.

[@MadRedAlchemist]

Beautiful engineering.

[@veresdenialex]

Amazing, nature is the best reference for good design

[@5lip5pace]

How about breeding an erodium plant where seeds use up all their energy to dig themselves below the surface. This cultivar could also have a low germination rate so that way you could probably put a different host seed down the spiral. You wouldnt have to manufacture a device, you could just grow it

[@Raid77]

That's truly amazing, I just can't help but wonder how they'd be able to produce mass quantities of those seeds for large areas as it seems to me that you'd need some manual labor to at least attach the seed to the device.

[@damageman]

Have no fear, we can make just about anything we put our minds to cheaply and automatically. I have been involved in making billions of components significantly more complex for fractions of a penny. It might take a little while but it’s definitely possible in a few years.

[@AFloridaSon]

So simple, and yet complex.

[@Haze1434]

What a fantastic idea! And no pollution other than manufacturing process... the wood simply becomes food for the new plant.

[@monkofmayhem1373]

What would take longer? Poking a 1” hole in the dirt and placing a seed in the hole then covering it or manufacturing one of these things, attaching it to the seed then getting a drone to fly about dropping them?

[@martinbat1164]

Love the research into agriculture. Machines are fun but these are amazing.

[@pablovirus]

Love the concept!

[@athomenotavailable]

but if you expend the resources to individually put each seed into each device, couldn't you also just scatter the seeds within a compressed block of soil, for example 1x1x1cm in size?

[@GrandCorsair]

Wouldn't that risk the them being washed away by heavy rain without any anchoring the block to ground?

[@fuzzirodekill]

This would be many times more heavy than just the seeds with a bits of thin wood straps

[@JacobCanote]

Love this story. A joy to see.

[@witch_in_a_wheelchair3050]

I'd play with these seeds all the time as a kid! We'd fill a small cap of water up, let them soak until they straightened, then afterwards we'd let them dry and watch them curl back up! 🥰

[@MLFranklin]

Very cool. Amazing design.

[@Grateful.For.Everything]

Very Cool! Those researchers really nailed it on this one.

[@Chaos_God_of_Fate]

Incredibly clever and simple- it's crazy just how awesome something so simple can be when applied in the right way!

[@l.h.9747]

What do you mean? If you would just fill the space a single one of these drillseeds takes up with normal ones you would get way more. Even if the failure rate for normal seed is higher it would still be easier and more cost effective to just drop more normal seeds.

[@psykology9299]

This is going to fit so well with the no-till farming that farmers are starting to implement

[@Chaos3183]

the applications for reforestation is really big because you can combine a lot of different seeds allow for the different levels to grow that is required in a forest

[@albertwang5974]

What a genius device: seed screw!

[@IkeChiu]

Good job! This could be also useful to prevent seeds from being eaten by birds.

[@kayakMike1000]

Paint the seeds to look and smell like bird terds.

[@xylosfurniture]

But who is going to feed the birds then?😂

[@sirnikkel6746]

​@@xylosfurniture Bugs

[@sirnikkel6746]

@@TramVanDam Too much time and effort to bury them directly. This is just a "throw and forget" device

[@sirnikkel6746]

@@TramVanDam MASS PRODUCE THE CRAPS AND SEED ALL WITH A BIG ASS DRONE IN MERE MINUTES LETS GOOOOO

[@joldidjeridoos6026]

Pili grass corkscrews when it gets wet. Fascinating plant!

[@stephss]

Is there some diy hack, we can do ourselves? Or will they offer the designs?

[@Nammaooruscience]

Brilliant engineering!!!!

[@snowkracker]

Nature never ceases to amaze

[@DarkGT]

Once again, the nature have the best designs!

[@gildedpeahen876]

Perfect! No plastic, no metal, no expensive robotic production system. Simply biomimcry at its best, an efficient, cheap solution. This could be a HUGE part of reforestation, and feeding people!

[@nawwk79]

The ingenuity of us humans are just phenomenal.

[@ApacheFPV]

i personally like the idea of packing seeds in bullets and using a minigun to plant a forest

[@kayakMike1000]

How effective is two passes? One with seeds, another with a bit of dirt?

[@RingingChunk]

This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen

[@volundrfrey896]

If pine is considered a large seed, and judging by the video the largest they can plant, then it has an extremely limited use. Since pine trees have relatively small seeds compared to other tree varieties.

[@damionkeeling3103]

@@gregoryford2532 I think the idea of this is for seeding in arid areas. I understand there are other problems with reforrestation such as soil microbes missing meaning some species don't do well.

[@Meninx87]

This brings a whole new meaning to the expression "Go screw yourself".

[@2k7u]

Well done

[@zacd4902]

How long does the mechanism take to biodegrade? Like will a years old tree still have a small wood spiral somewhere near its base?

[@That_Freedom_Guy]

We should always support good ideas. This is one.

[@hemanthk4075]

For many this is just a random seed germinator, but you have to appreciate the idea behind this innovation i.e. its importance in Reforestation, fighting Desertification Conservation of endemic/native species that are at risk of wiped out and can also be used for Drylands/Wastelands where fertility is poor. To add on, Biodegradable product this is remarkable...

[@JakeShuf]

It’s probably not going to go into production because you need to produce one and attach it to every seed. This means less payload storage and way more cost per seed dropped. It’s probably cheaper to just drop 5 times as many seeds.

[@thatguyyouknowtheone4073]

Possibly, but if none of those 5x seeds actually get into the ground, there's not much point to scaling it up

[@JakeShuf]

@@thatguyyouknowtheone4073 Yeah it depends on many factors, but I'm assuming that the seed survival rate must be very low for these seeds, and/or seeds are rare and expensive if they're going to be implementing this.

[@Mustang_Dan]

Doesn’t it seem impractical to manufacture, use, and discard one of these for every single seed planted?

[@rubyrainsong]

Yes it sure does. Makes me think they probably aren’t for seed deposit but rather something else. I’m sure it’s fine. Nothing sinister at all.

[@poetinhybernation]

Masanobu Fukuoka already solved this problem with a simple solution through seed pellets. It's a much direct approach that requires no special tools and manufacturing methods.

[@GuardianTiger]

Nature is always a good inspiration!

[@nenadmarkovic7998]

This is amazing. I've learnt something new today. Thank you.

[@l3176l]

Neat, but how realistic is production en masse, and could their structure and composition pose future health risks for crops? Lots of questions, but the design itself is very impressive. I’d love to play around with some of these to see what they’re capable of.

[@l3176l]

@eetm Might be more useful for something other than planting seeds...

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

plus, one thing that is not mentioned or realized, the carrier also helps funnel rain and moisture to the roots in the early stages of seed development. It may not be so good when the plant grows up because it can scratch the stem, so some form of obsolescence or degradation should be designed with other materials or a different thickness or width that favours destruction.

[@RareVBlue]

Seems like it would be easier to build a biodegradable hollow cylinder filled with soil at its base with a seed inside and a sharp end. Like a hollow dart so to speak filled with the soil and the seed. And make the point out of wood with openings that the roots of the seed can break through.

[@Lo7q7le7guste7mrtf]

Question: How will this affect the animals who eat seeds? Is there possibly a serious choking hazard?

[@idaeom]

This is quite fascinating to watch.

[@best-iq-test]

Beautiful work

[@herkules593]

That's a really cool idea! The paper is on my read next list!

[@OnNightmareRadio]

Threw out that surveillance fact at the last second and just glossed over it.

[@theeyeballthatcameoutofthe5268]

they are mocking you, (((they))) know you wont do anything about it

[@jameskelmenson1927]

Its definitely interesting. I suspect the seeds, after germinating, could be stunted by the wood piece in a lot of cases. Not only could the wood block the stem and young leaves physically, it could create moisture traps. There are already a lot of robots that can roll across a field while sowing seeds. To me, the very best system is mass transplantation of seedlings.

[@thistime3889]

Why not use seed balls? If at first it develops moss, it will keep it moist and cover it enough.

[@jameskelmenson1927]

@@thistime3889 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJaqeJyYns6FY6s that's what I think is the gold standard for large scale planting efforts. I think seed balls would probably work similar to the corkscrew thing, and that they'd both still be pretty inefficient in terms of how much seed reaches maturity. Transplantation is such a powerful agricultural method and honestly in any situation where youre growing a plant you should be doing it

[@fuzzirodekill]

Any system that uses robots or automation is counterproductive. The resources used to produce those robots required industrial extraction that brutalized the environment, and likewise for the electricity that powers them. There is no such thing as sustainable energy or sustainable mining

[@AkashVerma-is8oi]

Great Idea! Better than sending expensive devices to take sensors to difficult locations.

[@jessekieboom3815]

And increases your Storage volume for seeds by 500%...

[@suryakamalnd9888]

Amazing video!

[@hiroomimi9629]

I like how they cleverly didn’t let us know the percentage or ratio of the test seeds they dropped and which ones actually took form to produce the crop….

[@migs192]

Wonderful invention!

[@got2kittys]

A native grass , and a few others in my area have these type of corksrews.

[@ElectrikUnicorn]

Ok but how would you get the seeds attached to this on a large scale and how cost effective would it be rather than other ways that already exist and word quite efficiently and effectively

[@Fl0yd]

Simply amazing.

[@brodiekio1]

That an impressive concept… “if they can figure out..”

[@jakemarcus9999]

I keep being blown away by the fact how amazing nature is. I never could’ve even imagined something like a seed that drills itself to ground 😳

[@Philitron128]

You're just not familiar with the plants that already do this. They were inspired by nature in this case

[@mackswellgg]

I wonder how accurate the 3-tailed innovation would be to an evolved form of the actual seed

[@shannonpincombe8485]

A very cool idea with lots of upside.

[@src3360]

This is fascinating!!

[@absolutelynothing1314]

So do you just wet the seeds every ten mins? How to you keep the process going?

[@YSLRD]

Amazing for our old world. My thoughts now fall to ," How might it be weaponized"?

[@Portgas_D_Ace__]

Do we have to insert each seed in side those ... ??? Or there is a machine to insert each seed on to those?

[@trunghieuphan9087]

Very good design.

[@dylanparker130]

I like this. Clever stuff.

[@andrewkang1286]

Let me get this straight. If they find a way to mass-produce their wooden devices, it will increase reforestation.

[@mrchampion7134]

This innovation is great for mass scale controlled area and relatively cheap, while the alternative is a pike from a high altitude. This could make way for drone controlled farms.

[@isaacmiller1280]

I've said this my whole life so far and that is mother nature is probably one of the greatest if not THE greatest inventor of stuff out there.

[@REMIXYOURVLOG]

I wish you all a great day, stay blessed and healthy! Full Support for your great content! You deserve it!

[@spray_cheese]

Grasslands and biodiverse fields are found to be at least 5x better for atmospheric cleansing. So we should really be trying to keep those rather than replacing them with forests…

[@weymouthesterhuizen1145]

Brilliant. Keep this goings. Wow. Blessings.

[@krestovozdvizhenskiy]

It's is good that some people are still able to collect such ideas from Nature. But efficiency is not always the point. Especially in state-driven initiatives like reforestation.

[@sarahuchoa4018]

That's honestly brilliant 😃

[@Frogggisimo]

So it’s gotta rain like 8 times before something eats them? How long does it take for normal seeds to be eaten? Because if it doesn’t rain then they’ll still dry out, right?

[@maigematthews5620]

Has this invention been commercialized? How can I order a few dozen?

[@kayakMike1000]

Maybe make a biodegradable dart and drop from a great height so dropping the seed dart impales the ground a bit deaper.

[@oxylepy2]

This sounded great until "sensors for environmental monitoring." Ah yes, the fully biodegradable system for increasing viability of seeds, now with non-biodegradables and bonus microplastics.