Here are some visions of imaginary higher tech gardening and landscaping. I plan to gradually add other conceivable attachments for the "Antractor".
Good, vertical mowing capability can be understood for intensive, self maintaining growth. This is aimed at our successional variant of permaculture. We prefer reduced workload with largely-self-maintaining vegetation. It took us decades to establish our own shrubs and perennials. Currently these are a bit overgrown. A bit annoying to walk through. I need to carry items through this sort of overgrowth. Each year delays in getting the right tool to work, drives me to envision tools.
An more perfect tool would feel light to handle, suck in foliage, cut and vacuum it to container. The ant mimicry should provide gentle, automatically obedient following of operator. Modern electronics has all the goodies to do this, but prototyping is expensive. Mass production would level off pricing equivalent to lawn mower price ranges.
The Antractor visualizes a power system not currently available on earth. The motive power for this is not available, but advancing power tool designs fill my daydreams. The idea of reclining posture can be both athletic during use, while also obtaining closer views of the ground level. It should not be considered lazy at all. Use of a display allows access to to other tasks in progress- In my case this includes reading books, watching downloaded shows, multi tasking to save time. Or perhaps it is to enrich time spent. One does not really have to constantly stare at the display. It should also provide imaging to identify pests versus beneficials, (beneficial organisms). It would also provide an interface to indicate machine conditions. Ha, i think it would be great for skyping too.
My 2015 work included one week of excavator work, with a rented mini excavator. To extend earth moving capability of the excavator, i came up with a concept for a dirt pan. With the pan i was able to move several full scoop of dirt, all at once, (to extend uses of one machine). It clips right on to the blade.
Note the excavator tipping forward due to the load. I think further experimentation is needed to see if the pan could be supported well, with the excavator arm swung inward all the way.
Next is are simple tool concept. The first device came to mind, but after modeling it, another idea appealed more. I feel the need strongly. A worn device should allow one to get moderate physical exercise while accomplishing otherwise, very stressful work. Tasks such as weeding large areas, can be accomplished at much greater speed. The design structure needs editing (in my design software formZ). Preliminary modeling always provides the needed visual feedback. I never liked the overall appearance, nor the size of the the thing. It looks too bulky here. I will minimize it, (to be posted here before 2016).
The worn chest tractor would be a recoil spring which allows the person to walk down to ground level, grab a weed and pull it out on the rebound... Or for weed bunches, the person would stay down and collect them in a container or in piles... The recoil spring would be adjustable and require much less muscle power to stand up . Harvesting and rock pulling could also be greatly eased. I spend a lot of time gardening and building which involves bending over.
Squatting down to work at ground level may also suggest another design approach.
It occurred to me that the human body does not have a recoil muscle which can assist this stooping over all day. I improvised some pieces from my junk pile to rig something equivalent. I didn't have suitable material and i could not make the right sort of spring. I just had to satisfy with a certainty, that a physical model could be made by use of 3d printing. One can simply load 3d design files into 3d printer. More to come later). I believe it would be an excellent work out, while gathering compost, (to use for mulch material in the following years).
My preferred concept came after modeling the above chestractor.
It might be considered as sort of an external, leveraging muscle. It's air is least compressed in the upright position and also relaxed for swinging individual limbs. The springy-bounce-back develops only when the back bends. The name Bounce Back Pack might suggest easy bending over to ground level. Utilizing compressed air, combined with bungee cords should accomplish this labor saving benefit. Open source cooperation to develop labor saving devices is welcome!
This could benefit many kinds of back bending work. I would try it for construction and for gardening. The springy quality of action might also be achieved with plastic parts, printed with a 3d printer. I offer to study more details and model 3d files for printing. My accurate 3d files can be sent to a 3d service center, which uses a sufficiently large, 3d print machine. I have been underemployed and cannot afford any expense.
Very common examples of compressed air, (accomplishing this sort of power), is found in the v hatch back (door) of motor vehicles. Lifting up a heavy door or hatch is made easy by use of compressed air. Precise engineering assures that just the right power is provided, (along with other automotive features not needed here). Smaller and less cumbersome devices (than these) are conceivable.
I propose beginning some experiments to explore principles for a labor saving devices, (for bending over). My 3d software is precise
Comments and discussion are welcome. 
