Venus flytrap cyborg snaps shut with commands from a smartphone

1 year ago 43

Technology

Researchers created a plant-based robotic arm by connecting a Venus flytrap equipped with soft electrodes to a metallic structure and wirelessly commanding it to grab things

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Venus flytraps can be tricked into snapping shut on command, researchers have shown, effectively turning them into biological robots that can be controlled wirelessly.

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant that catches its prey, such as flies, by snapping its circular leaves shut around it. The leaves’ edges are studded with thin hairs that generate electrical impulses when an insect touches them – this burst of electricity causes the trap to close in as little as 0.1 seconds. …

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