Plant cyborgs? Scientists discover a way to make it work

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Merging technology with humans or animals has been done before but not with plants. A recent study plans to change all that by building circuitry within a live plant without killing it.

In a study published in the Science Advances journal, Professor Magnus Berggren and a group of scientists from the Laboratory of Organic Electronics have tested the concept on living roses. A press release published on EurekAlert says this opens the path to developing electronic circuits within the plant.

Researchers have been working on the problem for over twenty years. During the 1990s, the group attempted to place circuits in trees.

The researchers were unsuccessful in their initial attempts to create a cyborg tree due to lack of funding.

Another issue that the researchers encountered during the study was how to integrating electronics into the plants without disrupting the way it absorbs nutrients. The development of the PEDOT-S made this possible.

According to Popular Science, the scientists have developed a polymer known as the PEDOT-S which gets absorbed into the plant like water. When absorbed, the PEDOT-S branches out, creating a system of wires that can pass electric signals while still allowing the plant to get the water and nutrients it needs to survive.

The scientists were successful in creating a working digital logic gate and transistor. In addition, the polymer inside the leaves could be programmed to change color.

This technology will allow researchers to study how plants function and monitor various activities within the system.

"Previously, we had no good tools for measuring the concentration of various molecules in living plants. Now we'll be able to influence the concentration of the various substances in the plant that regulate growth and development," says Professor Ove Nilsson, Umeå Plant Science Center director and one of the researchers in the study.

Other than learning more about plant life, the scientists hope to develop ways on harvesting the energy from plants. Engadget says one of these applications is to create solar power farms where the modified plants could generate electricity while cleaning the air.

Perhaps the plants could also work as alternative antennas or sensors. Without using metal, the antennas would be lighter.

"Now we can really start talking about 'power plants' - we can place sensors in plants and use the energy formed in the chlorophyll, produce green antennas, or produce new materials. Everything occurs naturally, and we use the plants' own very advanced, unique systems," Prof. Berggren said during the press release.