The XXI century is often called the century of "green" technologies aimed at preserving and improving the ecological situation in the world. To make the life of plants more comfortable and learn to speak with them in their language, scientists create amazing plant "cyborgs".
The word "cyberbotany" sounds like a term straight out of the cyberpunk fiction of the 80s, but these days this area is increasingly attracting the interest of scientists. Members of the Fluid Interfaces Group, sponsored by the MIT Media Lab, have found a way to combine the natural sensory detection capabilities of plants with modern technology.
“Plants are self-healing organisms, represented on Earth in a huge variety. With the Cyborg Botany software, we can take these amazing life forms to a whole new level of biocompatibility,”the scientists assure.
The researchers currently have two main projects: phytoactuators, which act as exit ports, and Planta Digitalis, which act as entry ports. Both of these developments so far require a direct human operator. So, for example, phytoactuators can force the Venus flytrap to close its leaves. This is done by attaching electrodes, after which the operator himself can control the position of the grasping leaves of the predatory plant.
But in the Planta Digitalis project, plants themselves receive information about the world around them. The team grew a real "wire" inside the plant by placing it in ProDOT, a water-soluble polymer. This wire became the starting point for a miniature living "cyber factory", allowing other tools such as sensors and antennas to be connected.
Where can this come in handy? At the recent ACM CHI conference in Glasgow, scientists demonstrated several examples of practical applications of their system in everyday life. For example, the plants sensed the approach of a cat and sent an SMS warning to the owner through the sensor that the predator was nearby and could soon begin to gnaw leaves. Of course, such "phyto-spies" can also be used for military purposes - few would suspect a tracking system in an innocent dandelion.
Thanks to Planta Digitalis, you can even communicate with plants in their own language. “Our channels of communication with plant organisms are their physiology: color, orientation in space, humidity, position of flowers, leaves, and so on. This subtlety contrasts with our interactions with artificial electronic devices that focus on and around screens and require full attention,”the researchers explain.
Promotional video:
Vasily Makarov