Scientist: Mònica Mir Llorente

Mònica Mir Llorente profileMònica Mir Llorente is a Senior researcher at the research group Nanobioengineering and Bioelectrònics at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) (Spain). She graduated in Chemistry from the Rovira i Virgili University (Spain) in 1998 and in 2006 she obtained a doctorate in biotechnology from the same university. She carried out different predoctoral stays in Greece and the United Kingdom and a postdoctoral stay at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Germany).

Dr. Mir Llorente is an expert in the field of electrochemical biosensors for in vitro diagnosis and integrated in microfluidics for lab-on-a-chip, point-of-care, and implantable sensors. Also, she combines microfluidics with sensing and 3D cell co-culture to develop organ-on-a-chip platforms for disease modelling.

Green technology conceptual design, human arm covered with grass and lush and robotic hand, 3d render

Plants driving the future of sustainable technology

Scientists across Europe seek inspiration from flora to develop robots and materials. Europe is home to more than 20,000 plant species. Shaped by millions of years of evolution to withstand extreme conditions such as, droughts, floods, and harsh winters, plants convert sunlight into oxygen through photosynthesis, protect the soil from erosion and, not to forget, ...

Mònica Mir Llorente interview: Green technology conceptual design, human arm covered with grass and lush and robotic hand, 3d render

A scientist’s opinion: interview with Dr Mònica Mir Llorente on robotic plant roots

In humans and animals, the brain sends signals to indicate hunger, animals go hunting, while humans go to the refrigerator. But in plants, this process is controlled by the roots, which grow toward areas rich in nutrients. This idea inspired the study “Biomimetic Plant-Root-Inspired Robotic Sensor System”, which was developed within the framework of the ...