The third idea we discussed and ideated upon was the “Electric Weed Extractor” idea. This idea was made because the case owner mentioned that manually removing ragwort, meaning the poisonous weeds, from the garden hurts their neck and back due to the bending over. This electric weed extractor could be a solution for this, because then the case owner could just walk around with it and push a button to remove a weed, without bending in any way. When we introduced this, the first thing the case owner said was that it was a really fun and marketable idea. And then, they immediately had suggestions on how it could be improved.

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The first thing the case owner mentioned is that the device would need some kind of laser or camera to detect whether the whole plant is gone. You have to ensure that when the weed is extracted, no parts are left behind or fall off. Any leftover or fallen parts will dry up and still be poisonous for the horses.

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To keep the conversation going and ideate a bit more, we asked some questions regarding the device; so, whether the button system on top would be okay and whether the stick shape could work or that the device would maybe need handles so both hands can carry it. Based on this, the though of adding the device to the front of a mobile cart arose. This mobile cart, and thus device, could then maybe even be powered by solar energy. Furthermore, an integrated bucket system for pulled out weeds would be good.

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Lastly, the case owner mentioned that instead of a pulling mechanism, it would perhaps be better to have a spade. A spade can grab into the earth with quite a big radius and deep depth, which would most likely get rid of the full weed. The original pulling mechanism could potentially struggle with getting all the roots out, for they can grow 10 cm deep. The spade would be a solution for this.