Scientists Develop Plant Communication Device

Members of the research team include (from left) PhD student Li Wenlong, President's Chair Professor in Materials Science and Engineering Chen Xiaodong, A*STAR IMRE's Professor Loh Xian Jun and PhD student Luo Yifei.

A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) developed a device that can deliver electrical signals to and from plants, opening the door to new technologies that make use of plants. The plant communication device was developed by attaching a conformable electrode on the surface of a Venus flytrap plant using hydrogel as an adhesive.

Seeking to improve the device’s performance, the team collaborated with researchers at A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE). Executive Director of IMRE and co-lead author of the Advanced Materials study, Professor Loh Xian Jun, said: "The device can now stick to more types of plant surfaces, and more securely so, marking an important step in the field of plant electrophysiology."

Read more about news article on The Straits Times, PhysOrg, The Engineer (UK).