In a significant leap forward for eco-friendly technology, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) unveiled Acer i-Seed, an artificial seed for soil temperature monitoring, as per the university’s press release.
This innovation, detailed in the journal Science Advances, is a collaborative effort between IIT, led by Barbara Mazzolai, and the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM) in Germany.
According to the release, Acer i-Seed represents a fusion of biomimicry and cutting-edge technology. Drawing inspiration from the aerodynamic features of Acer campestre seeds, this soft robot is crafted from a biocompatible and compostable material using 3D printing technology.
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Aerodynamic behavior in nature
The seeds are designed to mimic the aerodynamic behavior of their natural counterparts, ensuring efficient dispersion over large areas.
The Acer campestre seed, native to Europe, features a unique mono-winged design that enables it to rotate like a helicopter blade during descent. This aerodynamic adaptation slows the seed’s decline, allowing it to stay in the air longer and increasing the likelihood of dispersion by wind gusts.
Notably, these seeds are believed to have influenced Leonardo da Vinci in drafting his “vite aerea.”
Barbara Mazzolai, Associate Director for Robotics at IIT and Director of the Bioinspired Soft Robotics (BSR) Lab, emphasized the importance of replicating nature’s strategies in robotic technologies: “Imitating the strategies or structures of living beings is key to obtaining innovation with low environmental impact in terms of energy and pollution,” she said in the statement.
The artificial seeds comprise a biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) with embedded non-toxic fluorescent lanthanide particles sensitive to temperature. This innovative material makes the seeds luminescent, offering a unique method for monitoring soil temperature without needing power sources or electronics.
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Deploying Acer i-Seeds is a two-step process. Drones release these luminescent seeds over large areas, mimicking the natural dispersion of seeds by wind. Once on the ground, the seeds are imaged by the same drones equipped with fluorescence Light Detection and Ranging (fLiDAR) systems.
When exposed to near-infrared light emitted by fLiDAR, the lanthanide particles fluoresce, with the color and intensity indicating the temperature of the soil.
Tobias Kraus, leading the development of the flyer’s sensor materials at INM, highlights the environmental friendliness of this approach. “Moving the sensing into the material obviates power sources and electronics, making the flier eco-friendly and robust,” he explained.
The successful on-field testing of the I-Seed Acer released by a drone demonstrates the feasibility of this innovative approach. Beyond soil temperature, the researchers envision expanding the capabilities of Acer i-Seeds to monitor other significant environmental parameters, such as humidity, CO2 levels, or pollutants.
Looking ahead, the IIT researchers plan to collaborate with interested companies to implement Acer i-Seeds on a larger scale, particularly in agricultural terrains. The goal is to enable distributed, simultaneous, wireless, and eco-friendly environmental analysis, marking a significant advancement in sustainable monitoring technologies.
This groundbreaking research underscores the potential of biomimicry in soft robotics, offering a promising avenue for environmentally conscious innovation. Acer i-Seed is a testament to the power of imitating nature’s intricate designs, paving the way for a greener and more sustainable future.
The study was recently published in the journal Science Advances.
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Abstract
Continuous and distributed monitoring of environmental parameters may pave the way for developing sustainable strategies to tackle climate challenges. State-of-the-art technologies, made with electronic systems, are often costly, heavy, and generate e-waste. Here, we propose a new generation of self-deployable, biocompatible, and luminescent artificial flying seeds for wireless, optical, and eco-friendly monitoring of environmental parameters (i.e., temperature). Inspired by natural Acer campestre plant seeds, we developed three-dimensional functional printed luminescent seed–like fliers, selecting polylactic acid as a biocompatible matrix and temperature as a physical parameter to be monitored. The artificial seeds mimic the aerodynamic and wind dispersal performance of the natural ones. The sensing properties are given by the integration of fluorescent lanthanide–doped particles, whose photoluminescence properties depend on temperature. The luminescent artificial flying seeds can be optically read from a distance using eye-safe near-infrared wavelengths, thus acting as a deployable sensor for distributed monitoring of topsoil environmental temperatures.
NOTE – This article was originally published in interestingengineering and can be viewed here
Tags: #agriculture, #CO2, #drones, #environmental, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #Pollution, #robot, #seeds, #soil, #sustainable
