You might not expect plants to be able to jump. But wild oats possess almost magical ability: their seeds, though dead and without muscles, use the energy of moisture to bury themselves in the soil, searching for the spot to start a new life.
Dr. Isabella Fiorello leads a research group in the Cluster of Excellence for Living, Adaptive and Energy Autonomous Materials Systems at the University of Freiburg (Germany), dedicated to the development of innovative biohybrid materials. Her research focuses on the development of plant-inspired materials and robots, with potential applications in agriculture, but also in space.
In a study published last year, Dr. Fiorello and her team introduced miniature robots called HybriBots, that behave like wild oats. Wild oats are a very common and invasive weed that grows almost everywhere. The fruits of wild oats have special thin, hairy appendages called awns. Although they are dead and have no muscles, they can move on their own when environmental humidity changes, because part of the awn twists and stores energy, which, when released, causes the fruit to “jump” and gently bury itself in the soil. In this way, the fruit finds cracks in the soil where it can germinate.
What materials are HybriBots made of, and do they use real plant parts?
The robot capsule is also coated with ethylcellulose, a derivative of cellulose, to make the robot resistant to water and humidity in general. The other parts of the robot come from natural parts of the plant. These parts are called awns; they are appendages of the plant. That means that the robots use real awns that interact with humidity and allow them to move in the soil. So, the robots combine both natural plant parts and artificial biodegradable materials. When this HybriBot is placed on the ground, it behaves like a wild oat fruit.
How demanding is it to research plants and apply this type of research in practice?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: I think this technology is very scalable. We already have an international patent. I think the most difficult part is understanding exactly what is needed in the environment and tuning the system depending on the type of soil or conditions where it will be used.
For example, in my paper, I tested different types of soil in the lab, using the system as a tool to deliver seeds. In this case, I used very common tomato seeds. But if there is a need for another type of seed, fertilizer, or chemical, it can also be embedded inside the robots. Once released in the environment, the robots can degrade and release the seed, fertilizer, or chemical. So, the robots can be used as a tool to deliver useful materials into the environment. These robots could help reforest hard-to-reach areas and even other planets. They can be used in agriculture, especially in areas that are not fertile, such as for afforestation, or in environments where people cannot easily work.
Since the robots move autonomously, they can be deployed in places that are difficult or impossible to reach, where they drill into the soil by themselves. They are also useful in environments where it is hard for plants to germinate, because the robots can act as carriers of fertilizer. For example, in areas severely damaged by fire, the robots, functionalised with fertilizer and seeds, can degrade naturally and enable seeds to grow. Moreover, users can decide what they want to cultivate, since it is possible to choose which type of plant or seed to put inside the robot.
Do you think the public is familiar with plant-inspired technologies, and how can the media better support and raise awareness in this area?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: I think people are starting to become more aware of plant-inspired materials. I have done a lot of outreach, including work with National Geographic, thanks to a grant I received from them. I feel that the general public is beginning to get familiar with these kinds of bio-inspired robots. Plant-based robots are still relatively new compared to other technologies, so it’s important to have journalists and media involved. Storytelling about our work, whether for schools or the general public, is really needed.
What is the biggest challenge in Europe? Do we have enough technology, institutions and companies interested in investing in this type of innovation? Could you use more connection with decision-makers and politicians?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: I think we need more interest from the industry to invest in it, because this is still a new field. Many companies are not sufficiently familiar with technologies. I am currently working in Germany, where I run a research group, and I think the situation here is bit better for the connection with industries respect to other countries. I am also active in the United States, where access to new technologies is much more open.
In Europe, the situation is changing; there are financial resources from the European Union to launch projects. Still, an industry that is ready to invest is not so developed. I hope this will improve in the future, but for now, we need more industrial partners and private investors who recognise the potential of these technologies. In Germany and England, there are already greater investments in start-ups and innovation.
We need balance. We need more funding, and we need more meritocracy, less bureaucracy, and more stability. I also believe it’s important to connect science with policymakers.
How can plant-inspired technologies help in monitoring and conserving plants, and which plant has been your favorite to work with?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: During my PhD, I worked on microstructured materials and used them for attachment applications. For example, I created a micro-hook that could attach and detach from different substrates. This approach was expensive to produce because I used Nanoscribe, a very expensive three-dimensional printing technique which is based on two-photon lithography.
However, if you consider using a molding and casting approach, as I did in my recent work, it becomes much cheaper. The molds can be reused multiple times, and the materials themselves are very cheap. For instance, my latest robot, inspired by Avena, can be produced for just a few cents.
Recently, I’ve been working with my PhD students on a plant called “water chestnut”, or “castagna d’acqua” in Italian. I focus on the fruits of this plant, which can disperse through water and attach to different environments. While my recent work is more focused on this plant, during my PhD, I worked extensively with Galium aparine, a very sticky climbing plant.
There are so many interesting plants that I want to study, including some types of cacti and others, but the possibilities are vast. I believe we need to take inspiration from plants and then use the technology we develop to gather data that can help preserve them.
For example, in my National Geographic project, we studied the attachment mechanisms of Galium aparine, which use micro-hooks that can attach to leaf tissue. Using this, we created a device that can monitor plants and even deliver small molecules into the plant’s vascular tissue. This technology, inspired by Galium aparine, allows us to monitor and help conserve plants. In the future, I hope it will also contribute to a better understanding of ecosystems. We also have an international patent related to this technology.
How can plant-inspired materials and biohybrid robots contribute to sustainable energy in Europe, and what changes would you like to see in academia-industry collaboration over the next few years?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: Plant-inspired biohybrid robots are inherently energy-efficient. Many of these systems are fully autonomous, with energy embedded directly in the material itself. For example, the hygroscopic materials we use in HybriBots allow movement powered solely by environmental humidity, eliminating the need for external energy sources.
Of course, if the robots need to power sensors or other electronics, traditional energy sources like small batteries or solar panels may be required. Fortunately, there are many researchers, including groups at my institute, dedicated to improving solar panel efficiency.
I hope Europe will foster stronger connections between academia and industry. There’s still a cultural gap compared to the US, especially for those who want to transition from lab research to startups. Personally, I love academic research, but I’m also eager to move my work into real-world applications that people can use. I hope Europe will continue to improve in this regard in the coming years. I hope that the plants we are studying will have a transformative impact in the future.
How can these innovations be included in environmental protection policies and strategies?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: Plant-inspired materials and biohybrid robots can be directly integrated into environmental protection policies and strategies by supporting ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity monitoring.
For example, robots like HybriBots can autonomously deliver seeds, fertilizers, or other beneficial compounds to hard-to-reach or degraded areas, helping reforest fire-damaged zones or improve soil health in marginal lands.
Policymakers can encourage the adoption of these technologies by funding pilot projects, supporting interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists, industry, and local communities, and creating frameworks that incentivise sustainable innovation. By including plant-inspired technologies in environmental strategies, Europe can promote efficient, low-impact solutions that preserve ecosystems while fostering technological innovation.
Biomimicry is a design approach that draws inspiration from natural systems, plants, and animals to create solutions that are more efficient, sustainable, and better adapted to the environment. In architecture, biomimicry allows buildings to adapt to changes in light, temperature, or humidity, for example, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
How can plant-inspired robotics and materials help create more sustainable energy solutions in buildings? Is there room for collaboration between architects and your field to design buildings that, like plants, dynamically respond to their environment and can offer completely new ideas for the architecture of the future?
Dr. Isabella Fiorello: Plant-inspired materials and robotics can play a key role in creating more sustainable energy solutions for buildings. By mimicking natural systems, we can design materials and devices that respond autonomously to environmental changes, such as fluctuations in light, temperature, or humidity, without relying on external energy sources. Plant-inspired actuators could control ventilation, shading, or window openings, adapting dynamically to the conditions outside and reducing the building’s energy consumption.
For example, here at the University of Freiburg and Cluster of Excellence livMats, there are groups working a lot with plant-inspired materials for architecture, like Professor Thomas Speck.
There is definitely room for collaboration between architects, engineers, and material scientists. By combining architectural design with plant-inspired robotics, we can envision buildings that behave more like living systems – self-adjusting, energy-efficient, and environmentally integrated. Such interdisciplinary projects could lead to entirely new concepts in architecture, where buildings dynamically interact with their surroundings, reduce carbon emissions, and offer novel solutions for sustainable urban living.