Cyborg plants are no longer a futuristic fantasy but a potential reality. These plants, augmented with electronics, could revolutionize how cities gather data and respond to harm. The concept of cyborg botany, as envisioned by Harpreet Sareen, challenges the traditional separation of nature and technology. By integrating circuitry into plant systems, these plants become living sensors, capable of detecting pollution, monitoring environmental stress, and even integrating living systems into urban data collection.
Sareen's journey began in Punjab, India, where his childhood was shaped by the Green Revolution. However, his career in designing inert infrastructure, such as cell phone towers, led him to question the disconnect between technology and nature. This prompted him to leave his job and explore technology's potential beyond utilitarian problem-solving.
In 2018, Sareen built his first 'plant robot,' Elowan, which translates a plant's internal electrical responses into movement. This experiment laid the foundation for MIT Media Lab's Cyborg Botany initiative, co-founded by Sareen and Pattie Maes. The initiative aims to harness plants' natural ability to respond to their environment and translate those signals into legible forms.
The potential applications of cyborg botany are vast. Plants can register pollution, light, and water, and their evolutionary adaptation may reveal environmental changes that conventional sensors struggle to detect. However, the integration of digital systems with plants' slower timescale presents challenges. Real-time demands of digital systems may conflict with the natural pace of plants, requiring careful consideration in urban settings.
Elizabeth Hénaff, a computational biologist, highlights the risk of ecological technologies perpetuating extractive thinking. The smart city's focus on operational efficiency may overlook the importance of ecological health and environmental justice. Anthony Vanky, an urbanist, suggests that cyborg botany could shift the focus from efficiency to responsiveness, care, and coexistence.
Vanky envisions living sensors interacting directly with residents' environments, managing climate controls, and serving as wellness indicators. However, the potential for misuse and surveillance is a concern. Plant-based systems could be weaponized for policing, and the ethical implications of harnessing biological labor without a clear moral framework must be addressed.
Sareen emphasizes the need for guardrails in technology embedded in urban infrastructure, ensuring human choices guide technology towards positive outcomes. He envisions a solarpunk future where plants absorb energy and power other devices, fostering a harmonious relationship between living biology and built infrastructure. The challenge lies in redefining technology's purpose and creating sustainable alternatives to extractive corporate practices.
