Tertill is an autonomous robot that runs on solar power and keeps your garden weed-free.

Design Team

CLEAR design lab

CLEAR design lab worked with the team at Franklin Robotics to design their first product: an autonomous robot called Tertill that keeps your garden free of weeds without using harsh chemicals. We wanted to create something that felt at home in a garden, bridging the old world technologies with the brand new, and in doing so were inspired by classic gardening tools, Japanese stone lanterns, and clay vessels.

The robot requires minimal human contact (you set it down, press a button and it goes to work), so the user considerations were primarily around the ergonomics of an almost hidden handle along the back surface and ensuring the LEDs could clearly indicate the status of the robot to the gardener.

Tertill uses a small weedwacker underneath the robot to vanquish weeds along with smart sensors to leave desired plants alone. It's engineered to be totally safe but the idea of an autonomous destroyer can feel a little intimidating so we worked on crafting the initial concepts into something cute and friendly without veering into anything too literal or cartoonish.

Tertill is in the home stretch of its kickstarter campaign, well past its goal with over $290,000 raised to date with about one day left.

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