ALL-PURPOSE GARDENING TOOL

摘要

The invention provides an improved spade that allows for lifting with minimal strain on muscles and joints. The device also contains a soil moisture and nitrate content measuring system. It can be classified as a home gardening device used to pick up and deposit loose soil matter with minimal effort compared to traditional methods of soil collection as well as an instrument that can be used to measure the concentration of particulate in soil. The device consists of a hollow rod where at one end is attached to a clamp and at the other end extends to a leading blade. The clamp is attached to a beam that runs through the hollow rod and is attached to a hinge which connects to the leading blade. At rest, the leading blade is aligned with the rod. The clamp serves as a fulcrum to a lever placed within the hollow rod where upon manual force, the flat blade is moved to an angle perpendicular relative to the rod. Upon release of the clamp, the leading blade abruptly returns to the rest position. The soil particulate sensor system consists of micro-sensors attached at the front and back of the leading blade, used to quantify the amount of moisture and nitrates in the soil. The moisture sensor located on the front of the leading blade is composed of an electrode that analyses water levels in the soil. The nitrate sensor analyses the nitrate levels using a micro-spectrophotometer imbedded in a membrane. 9