The Italian Institute of Technology developed a robot that replicates the behavior and mechanisms of plants.

Barbara Mazzolai, one of the scientists working on The Plantoid Project, a venture funded by the European Commission, said “We had the idea to integrate these sensors in robots, to cover large areas and detect pollutants, predicting the impact of these on human health and the environment.”

The Plantoid has roots that grow from their tips, using a miniaturized 3D printer that changes the viscosity of PLA filaments by increasing temperature.

“We are very happy with our results, as it was really difficult to translate a system that is able to add material at the tip level in a robot. We managed to succeed, also implementing behavior such as tropism, the capability of roots to grow following or escaping from environmental stimuli.”

Plantoid robots could be applied within a variety of real-life settings, ranging from environmental monitoring to space exploration.

Can you picture a robot growing underground like a real plant?

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