Scientists have learned to control plants by transmitting and receiving electrical signals

Engineers at NTU (Nanyang Technological University in Singapore) have created a unique device for communication with plants. They attached a special conductive electrode to the Venus flytrap using sticky gel and hydrogel.

This manipulation made it possible to achieve two goals at once: to receive electrical impulses from the plant, thereby tracking how the plant reacts to external stimuli. And they also got the opportunity to transmit electrical signals to the plant, for example, in order for it to "close".

Why study the electrical impulses of plants

Scientists have known for many years that plants also generate electrical impulses, thereby responding to external stimuli. The NTU scientific group believes that the development of a direction in the study of electrical impulses from plants will allow for the creation of various useful applications in the future.

So in the future it will be possible to use special analyzers that are based on electrical impulses from plants will determine the degree of their health, as well as the need for one or another action.

What is the problem of picking up electrical impulses from plants

The main problem in picking up electrical impulses emanating from plants was that for high-quality signal reception, it is necessary to ensure reliable contact of the electrode with the plant surface. The peculiarities of plants so far did not allow the installation of electrodes without damaging them.

NTU engineers managed to solve this problem as follows:

It was possible to reliably fix the electrode on the surface of the plant using a thermogel, which smoothly turns into an expandable gel at room temperature. The use of such a gel provided high-quality signal detection, despite the movement of plants during the day. In addition, scientists have also used electrocardiography (ECG) to track plant activity.

As an experiment, the scientists attached their device to a plant known as the Venus flytrap (a predatory plant that hunts for insects).

Further, using special software, scientists sent commands to close the leaves via a smartphone. The response time of the plant to the impulse was 1.3 seconds.

The scientists shared the results of the work done on the pages of the scientific journal Nature Electronics.

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