Plants have amazing and significant sensing capabilities.
For instance, each single root apex can simultaneously and continuously monitor many chemical and physical parameters. Natural organisms, including human beings, have often inspired works of science and science fiction on how to augment their abilities or interface them with machines. As a remarkable example, electroencephalography (EEG) enables the transduction of electrical activity in the brain into machine understandable signals of non-verbalised patterns.
In this project, we plan to extend this approach to the realm of plants, shifting focus from interfacing a single entity (e.g. a human brain that controls a prosthetic device) to a network of entities (a community of plants) that renders an orchestrated response to the environment in which it lives. While artificial sensing devices exist that can monitor environmental parameters of interest, such as temperature or humidity, the focus of our research will be on the use of plants themselves as sensing and decision-making devices.
The holistic approach we propose is novel: while plants as bio-sensors have been the object of previous studies, prior work has focused on the study of the sensing capabilities of individual plants in a controlled laboratory environment.
In contrast, we plan to consider real field scenarios (e.g. a forest or a meadow) in which plants often receive uncontrollable and unpredictable stimuli. We will consider the case of multiple points of observations, in which readings from several plants are collected over a wireless network and integrated in a suitable way to obtain a consistent and global view of an environment of interest. Eco-compatible, self-sustainable and cost effective plant-based solutions will be studied to tackle two relevant problems of the modern society: air pollution and the use of chemicals in organic agriculture.
We are used to thinking of plants as inanimate objects. A nice aphorism well describes our vision: “One day you will step into the garden to look at the flowers – and the flowers will look back at you”. Even more interestingly, we also claim that plants will gossip about you!
The Latest on: Sensing Devices
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The Latest on: Sensing Devices
- Laser printing on fallen tree leaves produces sensors for medical and laboratory useon May 9, 2024 at 9:04 am
Fabrication of sensors by 3D printing combines speed, freedom of design, and the possibility of using waste as a substrate. Various results have been obtained in a circular economy mode, whereby ...
- Future Mac laptops could use an Apple Pencil as an input deviceon May 9, 2024 at 6:20 am
Apple has filed for a patent (number US 20240152218 A1) for a “Mountable Tool Computer Input” that hints that the Touch Bar could be revived as a Mac laptop strip that supports the Apple Pencil. About ...
- Energy harvester powers remote devices in the IoTon May 9, 2024 at 6:04 am
The pyroelectrochemical cell converts thermal energy into electricity and stores it. Source: Brian Maffly, University of Utah ...
- Automotive Sensors Market to surpass US$ 44 billion by 2033on May 8, 2024 at 11:32 pm
The global automotive sensors market is projected to attain a valuation of US$ 19.2 billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach US$ 44 billion by 2033, expected to incline at a CAGR of 8.6% during the ...
- Apple’s $129 Pencil Pro arrives with a squeeze sensor and Find My functionalityon May 8, 2024 at 11:01 am
Shocking as it may seem, it’s been nearly a decade since the first Apple Pencil was announced, way back in 2015. The stylus hasn’t seen much in the way of ...
- How FPGAs are Revolutionizing Sensor-to-Cloud Integration in Manufacturingon May 6, 2024 at 12:13 pm
As manufacturers strive to optimize efficiency with automation, the importance of sensor-to-cloud connectivity cannot be overstated. With more sensors on factory floors than ever before, companies are ...
- Breath-analyzing sensor dims its glow to show blood oxygen levelson May 6, 2024 at 11:10 am
A new sensor could soon allow hospital patients' blood oxygen levels to be checked via their breath. The technology is claimed to be more reliable and less painful than existing traditional methods.
- Swallowable sensor unfurls in stomach to monitor gut healthon May 6, 2024 at 2:00 am
A ribbon of electrodes could nestle in the gut to help diagnose gastrointestinal diseases linked to Parkinson’s ...
- Penn Medicine neurosurgeon first in U.S. to implant new medical device for patients with Parkinson’s, epilepsyon May 3, 2024 at 7:12 am
Medtronic’s Percept™ RC neurostimulator is the first and only rechargeable deep brain stimulation system with sensing, directionality, and advanced programming.
- Physicists pioneer new quantum sensing platformon May 2, 2024 at 5:00 pm
transformative sensing devices. For its part, hBN is particularly attractive for quantum sensing and computing because it could contain defects that can be manipulated with light—also known as ...
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