CYBERPLANT

The Plant Driven Robotic System (PDRS) is a cyber-plant system where the electro-chemical-mechanical signals produced by the plant organism control a robotic platform through a communication interface. In this setup, the plant acts as the decision center, driver and controller of the robotic extension, enabling it to perform actions in the external world that would otherwise be impossible.

This project explores the emerging field of Plant-Robot Interaction (PRI), focusing on the potential for interspecies communication between plants and humans. It proposes that PDRS could be an intriguing class of cyberplants for investigating plant agency and communication with plant organisms.

Moreover, microfluidics has the potential to play a crucial role in creating interfaces, offering significant benefits through the use of microfluidic Plant-on-a-Chip systems. This project proposes a fabrication protocol for such a system, aiming to address the current challenges associated with the fabrication of these technologies.

From May to August 2023, I had the opportunity to conduct experiments at the LINV Laboratory at the Università di Firenze (IT). This research was part of my internship for the MSc in Nanotechnology at the BIOS Research Group at the University of Twente (NL).