Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Biohybrids (Biohybrid phytosensing system for plant-technology interactions in mixed-reality and smart-home systems)
Reporting period: 2020-05-01 to 2021-10-31
Short description and objectives
This project is related to an embedded electronic system connected to plants and trees – so-called phytosensors -- which measures their physiological parameters as well as different environmental values. Measured data are processed in the local device based on stored models that enable recognizing environment/plant states leading to normal vital activities, stress or decay of biological organisms. The system is used as a bio-sensor and as a bio-hybrid interface device. In ecological and bio-sensing usage, the phytosensor enables a biological monitoring of indoor conditions or urban/forest ecologies for early detection of environmental pathogenicity, pollutions or impact of human activities on environment. As a bio-hybrid interface, the phytosensor provides physiological data from plants for plant-technology interactions: Mixed Reality or smart-Home systems, integration into digital infrastructures, controlling the robot actuators or performing autonomous phytoactuation.
In addition to phytosensing, the phytosensing system can also perform phytoactuation, i.e. to execute real-time data processing and decision making for operating different actuators. This functionality is useful for electrical or light stimulation of plants, optimizing watering and lighting mode, conducting fully autonomous experiments and development of complex feedback-based and adaptive scenarios with bio-hybrid systems.
Three main objectives of this project are:
Objective 1. Preparing stand-alone device, documentation and packaging
Objective 2. Certification and IP protection
Objective 3. Active marketing
This project is related to an embedded electronic system connected to plants and trees – so-called phytosensors -- which measures their physiological parameters as well as different environmental values. Measured data are processed in the local device based on stored models that enable recognizing environment/plant states leading to normal vital activities, stress or decay of biological organisms. The system is used as a bio-sensor and as a bio-hybrid interface device. In ecological and bio-sensing usage, the phytosensor enables a biological monitoring of indoor conditions or urban/forest ecologies for early detection of environmental pathogenicity, pollutions or impact of human activities on environment. As a bio-hybrid interface, the phytosensor provides physiological data from plants for plant-technology interactions: Mixed Reality or smart-Home systems, integration into digital infrastructures, controlling the robot actuators or performing autonomous phytoactuation.
In addition to phytosensing, the phytosensing system can also perform phytoactuation, i.e. to execute real-time data processing and decision making for operating different actuators. This functionality is useful for electrical or light stimulation of plants, optimizing watering and lighting mode, conducting fully autonomous experiments and development of complex feedback-based and adaptive scenarios with bio-hybrid systems.
Three main objectives of this project are:
Objective 1. Preparing stand-alone device, documentation and packaging
Objective 2. Certification and IP protection
Objective 3. Active marketing
Overview of dissemination and exploitation, main results
The phytosensing system is developed for B2B and B2C customers. During implementation phase of the project, both categories of customers have been addressed and in fact this strategy was fully confirmed. B2B customers are different art and research organizations, B2C case represents mostly plant enthusiasts. According to data from 2020-2021, about 70% are B2B cases, about 30% B2C cases. Interaction/acquisition with/of customers happens mostly during online events.
The pandemic has radically changed plans for marketing, networking, promotion and similar activities that required travel and meetings with people. In fact, all exhibitions and conferences were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Due to lockdown, many B2B users were in an inoperative state. Therefore, all available resources were transferred to online events, various social networks, youtube content, and online presentations. Moreover, it was decided to combine two lines of development: electrochemical sensors (electrochemical impedance spectrometer) and physiological phyto-measurements. We believe that such risk mitigation has been successful, since the phytosensor was introduced to the market earlier than planned. In this way, more B2B and B2C customers, also from electrochemical area, have been attracted to the phytosensing system as initially planned.
Online demonstrations and presentations have been performed during online conferences and other online events. Due to online form, a typical audience was between 200 and 500 persons. During last 18 months a large number of workshops has been performed, about 3-5 per month, with typical audience between 2 and 20 persons. For all phytosensing systems from the trial program, quick demo and training have been provided. Online communication with customers facilitated improvements and further development of this systems.
Considering three main objectives of this project and performed main steps on parametrized hardware and software, on specifying application cases, marketing, test production and packaging, documentation and demonstrations, we assess all the goals and steps as successfully achieved. The pandemic changed the initial strategies towards 'online', this reflected in almost all online marketing and networking activities. The device is prepared for the global market, insertion in global Amazon/eBay and other local platforms will follow immediately after end of this project.
The phytosensing system is developed for B2B and B2C customers. During implementation phase of the project, both categories of customers have been addressed and in fact this strategy was fully confirmed. B2B customers are different art and research organizations, B2C case represents mostly plant enthusiasts. According to data from 2020-2021, about 70% are B2B cases, about 30% B2C cases. Interaction/acquisition with/of customers happens mostly during online events.
The pandemic has radically changed plans for marketing, networking, promotion and similar activities that required travel and meetings with people. In fact, all exhibitions and conferences were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Due to lockdown, many B2B users were in an inoperative state. Therefore, all available resources were transferred to online events, various social networks, youtube content, and online presentations. Moreover, it was decided to combine two lines of development: electrochemical sensors (electrochemical impedance spectrometer) and physiological phyto-measurements. We believe that such risk mitigation has been successful, since the phytosensor was introduced to the market earlier than planned. In this way, more B2B and B2C customers, also from electrochemical area, have been attracted to the phytosensing system as initially planned.
Online demonstrations and presentations have been performed during online conferences and other online events. Due to online form, a typical audience was between 200 and 500 persons. During last 18 months a large number of workshops has been performed, about 3-5 per month, with typical audience between 2 and 20 persons. For all phytosensing systems from the trial program, quick demo and training have been provided. Online communication with customers facilitated improvements and further development of this systems.
Considering three main objectives of this project and performed main steps on parametrized hardware and software, on specifying application cases, marketing, test production and packaging, documentation and demonstrations, we assess all the goals and steps as successfully achieved. The pandemic changed the initial strategies towards 'online', this reflected in almost all online marketing and networking activities. The device is prepared for the global market, insertion in global Amazon/eBay and other local platforms will follow immediately after end of this project.
Potential impact
Innovation potential is generated by targeting ecological monitoring, home floriculture applications, bio-sensing and plant-technology installations. The concrete goal is a biological monitoring of environment – without specific and expensive equipment. It contributes to increasing safety in regard to e.g. CO2/CO content, high-frequency EM emissions (WiFi, cellular networks), by attracting attention to potentially pathogenic or even dangerous situations. Outdoor phytomonitoring systems in urban and forest ecologies represent another added value. Since physiological data from plants can be provided to advanced users and plants can be electro-physiologically stimulated by this system – the Phytosensor can be used as a compact laboratory for exploring the interactions between biological and technological systems – current market has no similar systems enabling this kind of experimentation for scientists and hobbyists. Additional scientific impact is related to advanced bio-/phyto- sensing systems with closed sensing-actuation loops (in particular, to plant electrical stimulation and plant self-regulation of light/water/CO2) and plant-learning features (e.g. Pavlov plant experiments). This represents a novel class of plant-treatment approaches with developed devices, primarily for agricultural engineering and scientific usage.
Extent of economic and/or societal benefits are characterized by market volume -- the test and measurement equipment market is estimated to reach USD 35.45 billion by 2022, the total US floriculture market is over 30 billion USD for 2015; similar values are demonstrated by European market. The global entertainment market was worth 1.72 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015 and is set to rise to 2.14 trillion by 2020. To understand the volume of a possible agricultural impact, we shortly note that the combined agricultural and food sector (which also include plants handling) accounts for 17 mio jobs (7.6% of total employment) and for 3.5% of total gross value added (GVA) in the EU-27 in 2009. This sector involves a high number of SMEs: SMEs account for 99% of firms, 62.5% of the work force and about 45.5% of total value added. Development of technologies allowing to sense physiological state of plants (both for productive and for cultural plans) involved a huge market – thus, the phytosensor represents an essential monetary value, attractive for investments.
Considering three main objectives of this project and performed main steps on parametrized hardware and software, on specifying application cases, marketing, test production and packaging, documentation and demonstrations, we assess all the goals and steps as successfully achieved. The pandemic changed the initial strategies towards 'online', this reflected in almost all online marketing and networking activities. The device is prepared for the global market, insertion in global Amazon/eBay and other local platforms will follow immediately after end of this project.
Innovation potential is generated by targeting ecological monitoring, home floriculture applications, bio-sensing and plant-technology installations. The concrete goal is a biological monitoring of environment – without specific and expensive equipment. It contributes to increasing safety in regard to e.g. CO2/CO content, high-frequency EM emissions (WiFi, cellular networks), by attracting attention to potentially pathogenic or even dangerous situations. Outdoor phytomonitoring systems in urban and forest ecologies represent another added value. Since physiological data from plants can be provided to advanced users and plants can be electro-physiologically stimulated by this system – the Phytosensor can be used as a compact laboratory for exploring the interactions between biological and technological systems – current market has no similar systems enabling this kind of experimentation for scientists and hobbyists. Additional scientific impact is related to advanced bio-/phyto- sensing systems with closed sensing-actuation loops (in particular, to plant electrical stimulation and plant self-regulation of light/water/CO2) and plant-learning features (e.g. Pavlov plant experiments). This represents a novel class of plant-treatment approaches with developed devices, primarily for agricultural engineering and scientific usage.
Extent of economic and/or societal benefits are characterized by market volume -- the test and measurement equipment market is estimated to reach USD 35.45 billion by 2022, the total US floriculture market is over 30 billion USD for 2015; similar values are demonstrated by European market. The global entertainment market was worth 1.72 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015 and is set to rise to 2.14 trillion by 2020. To understand the volume of a possible agricultural impact, we shortly note that the combined agricultural and food sector (which also include plants handling) accounts for 17 mio jobs (7.6% of total employment) and for 3.5% of total gross value added (GVA) in the EU-27 in 2009. This sector involves a high number of SMEs: SMEs account for 99% of firms, 62.5% of the work force and about 45.5% of total value added. Development of technologies allowing to sense physiological state of plants (both for productive and for cultural plans) involved a huge market – thus, the phytosensor represents an essential monetary value, attractive for investments.
Considering three main objectives of this project and performed main steps on parametrized hardware and software, on specifying application cases, marketing, test production and packaging, documentation and demonstrations, we assess all the goals and steps as successfully achieved. The pandemic changed the initial strategies towards 'online', this reflected in almost all online marketing and networking activities. The device is prepared for the global market, insertion in global Amazon/eBay and other local platforms will follow immediately after end of this project.