Imagine you could inject a special, electrically conductive fluid into a rose, which then spreads out through the plant and grows into it. Imagine creating an entire garden or forest of cyborg plants that act as a gigantic, biological computer network.
Well, imagine no more – scientists from Sweden’s Linköping University have successfully managed to perform the former, while looking forward to the latter in the future.
ADVERTISING
As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a rose’s “veins” – its xylem – were filled with ETE-S, a conductive solution that spontaneously forms “wires” through its stems, leaves, and petals. The rose’s own biochemical processes act as the catalyst for the proliferation of the gel, with no external stimulus required.
This circuitry integrates itself between the cell walls and the plasma membranes, all without disrupting the normal biological workings of the plant.
A very basic version of this was achieved by the same team in 2015. However, back then, the fluid, PEDOT, did not spread autonomously, and it had to be woven into place by hand – a tricky procedure, to be sure. This time around, the conductive network had completely embedded itself within the rose in just two days all by itself.
By placing gold electrodes into the rose, the team managed to create a fully functioning transistor. The plant tissue itself is such a good insulator that at no point did the circuit short itself out.
The new cyborg rose supercapacitor. Thor Balkhed/Linköping University
“We have been able to charge the rose repeatedly, for hundreds of times without any loss on the performance of the device,” lead author Eleni Stavrinidou, Assistant Professor at Linköping University’s Laboratory of Organic Electronics, said in a statement. “The levels of energy storage we have achieved are of the same order of magnitude as those in supercapacitors.”
Just like a conventional capacitor or transistor forms part of an electronic system within a computer, this e-Plant will form a similar component in a biological-technological hybrid system. Entire new forms of sensors and circuitry could be built out of this type of cyborg vegetation.
It may be difficult to think of a use for circuitry that grows organically at the moment, but it presents us with an incredible new canvas with which to transform the world in ways we can yet only begin to imagine.
Admittedly, this cyborg rose is a cutting of one, meaning it was dying or dead by the time the circuitry had permeated through it. The next step, the team note, will be to attempt to infuse a living rose with ETE-S and see if it remains alive afterwards.
If this is shown to work, then prepare yourself for a future where you can essentially plant computers in your backyard.
I read about this at a point... an article was saying that microprocessing can only get so small with current manufacturing methods, and eventually we'd need to look to creating organic circuits to continue to make the connections smaller. So in short, we might have processors someday that are blobs instead of chips.
neonblack wrote:They say tone is in the hooks
D.o.S. wrote:I'm pretty sure moderation leads to Mustang Sally.
coldbrightsunlight wrote:Yes I am a soppy pop person at heart I think with noises round the edge
There is quantum computing ideas but what I've heard from people like Michio Kaku there is the issue of circuit paths not staying consistent at the quantum level and thus they'd short circuit - it particles are fluctuating on the quantum level. So I don't know how small they could actually make them till they figured out how to create stability on such a small level.
Faldoe wrote:There is quantum computing ideas but what I've heard from people like Michio Kaku there is the issue of circuit paths not staying consistent at the quantum level and thus they'd short circuit - it particles are fluctuating on the quantum level. So I don't know how small they could actually make them till they figured out how to create stability on such a small level.
Everything fluctuates on the quantum level, as all states exist until defined (sort of).
Gotta read into this more but it just made me think of Day of the Triffids meets Terminator.
WWPD?
fcknoise wrote:You are all fucking tryhard effort posting nerds
Invisible Man wrote:
I'm probably the most humble person I know. I feel good about smelling my own butthole.
Jesus Was a Robot wrote:Did you just assume Billy Corgan's dildo preference??
Faldoe wrote:There is quantum computing ideas but what I've heard from people like Michio Kaku there is the issue of circuit paths not staying consistent at the quantum level and thus they'd short circuit - it particles are fluctuating on the quantum level. So I don't know how small they could actually make them till they figured out how to create stability on such a small level.
Everything fluctuates on the quantum level, as all states exist until defined (sort of).
Gotta read into this more but it just made me think of Day of the Triffids meets Terminator.
But we don't see how pedals malfunction. I'm in no way familiar with quantum machanics but from what I gathered from Kaku's point: when you try and build incredibly small circuits, ones where traces may be microscopic that's when you can run into issues. Also I'm not sure depending on voltage levels how far apart traces need to be before current could bridge with other traces.
Iommic Pope wrote:Of course, the next step is growing this jazz in humans...
Implants and Cyberpunk future, anyone?
When the fuckbots start revolting against their human doms, it'll be up to one man, one cyber-STD-infested sex warrior, to bring the rampaging 'bots to their metallic knees...and then jizz killer nanomachines into their faces.
I am...PATIENT ZERO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Louy7zH9guw
sonidero wrote:Roll a plus 13 for fire and with my immunity to wack I dodge the cough and pass a turn to chill and look at these rocks...
kbithecrowing wrote:Making out with my girl friday night, I couldn't stop thinking about flangers.
