BIOHYBRIDS:
Biohybrid phytosensing system for plant-technology interactions in mixed-reality and smart-home systems
Objective
This innovation is related to an embedded electronic system connected to plants and trees – so-called phytosensor — which measures their physiological parameters as well as different environmental values. Measured data are processed in the local device based on stored models that enable recognizing environment/plant states leading to normal vital activities, stress or decay of biological organisms. The system is used as a bio-sensor and as a bio-hybrid interface device. In ecological and bio-sensing usage, the phytosensor enables a biological monitoring of indoor conditions or urban/forest ecologies for early detection of environmental pathogenicity, pollutions or impact of human activities on environment. As a bio-hybrid interface, the phytosensor provides physiological data from plants for plant-technology interactions: Mixed Reality or smart-Home systems, integration into digital infrastructures, controlling the robot actuators or performing autonomous phytoactuation. Fully operational prototypes of phytosensors are produced and tested in multiple locations during 24 months in indoor and urban applications. These tests demonstrated a large social and ecological impact as well as a technological readiness for a global B2B and B2C market within entertainment, smart home and sensor equipment segments. This proposal describes an exploitation strategy that increases economic and societal benefits of the Flora Robotica project. The phytosensor system is a finalist of the Innovation Radar 2019.
Plant–technology interaction via bio-hybrid phytosensing system
Experts have long been trying to develop ways to explore relations between robots and natural plants, potentially creating a society of robot–plant bio-hybrids functioning as an embodied, self-organising and distributed cognitive system. This phytosensor system will grow and develop over time, interacting with humans, resulting in the creation of meaningful architectural structures. The EU-funded Biohybrids project is developing the phytosensors designed to measure the physiological parameters of plants and trees as well as different environmental values. The prototypes tested demonstrated a large social and ecological impact as well as market readiness for immediate adoption.
Funded under: EXCELLENT SCIENCE – Future and Emerging Technologies (FET), Grant agreement ID: 945773