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Radio Controlled Plants

Posted by michael on from the body-snatcher dept.

Winged Cat writes: "BusinessWeek has a story on plants that can transmit and react to radio signals, to act as remote sensors and actuators (say, to report degraded soil conditions and/or prepare for a cold snap). ObComments: if they could also do some computation, you could grow your own Beowulf cluster; and I wonder if you could enter this into Robot Wars?"

9 comments

  1. Re:But what to call it? by Winged+Cat · · Score: 2

    Well, you're probably spot-on with -phyte, but it's not technically a computer (yet, despite my crack in the posting), so cyber- is inaccurate (even if marketing-friendly). Robo- is probably better, because these plants do stuff in response to signals received and report back sensor data. They are, literally, robotic plants, no?

  2. Isn't this a little overly optomistic? by azephrahel · · Score: 1

    It is one thing to hook up sensors to plants, and radio back signals of its condition.
    Slightly more complicated to control a plants growth remotely (tiny electric shocks and mirrors to move the plant maybe? Constricting water flow, stuff like that)
    But to alter a plants genetics? Ehh sorry, I just don't buy it. Besides, I don't really want to eat genetically altered corn, made by engineers. Why on earth would anyone eat plants that automatically alter their own genetics?

    When it gets right down to it, the idea is silly and overblown. There are many other ways around the problem of monitoring plants, and resource production from plants. This is just an interesting waste of time.

    --
    You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
    1. Re:Isn't this a little overly optomistic? by Throw+Away+Account · · Score: 2

      Besides, I don't really want to eat genetically altered corn, made by engineers.

      You know that corn you buy in the supermarket or as part of another foodstuff? If it isn't labeled "organic", it's probably a product of genetic engineering. If it is labeled "organic", it's probably a human-created hybrid with ancestors that were randomly mutated by deliberate by use of mutagenic compounds and artificial radiation. And if it happens to be in the tiny percentage of worldwide corn production that is neither of those, it's a human created hybrid whose ancestors were randomly mutated by radiation from the largest nuclear reactor in the solar system.

      --
      There's no "we" in team, only "me"
  3. But what to call it? by maddogsparky · · Score: 1
    This seems to be a new class of organism that has not been dealt with in literature or the media. A simple to remember, easy to pronounce word would facilitate casual conversation about the plants-with-a-computer-chip-that-can-compunicate-b y-radio topic. That said, I've included some definitions (courtesy of dictionary.com)

    cyborg (sbôrg) (n.) A human being who has certain physiological processes aided or controlled by mechanical or electronic devices. [cyb(ernetic) + org(anism).]

    cybernetics (sbr-ntks) (n., used with a sing. verb) The theoretical study of communication and control processes in biological, mechanical, and electronic systems, especially the comparison of these processes in biological and artificial systems.

    organism (ôrg-nzm) (n. ) 1. An individual form of life, such as a plant, an animal, a bacterium, a protist, or a fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life. 2. A system regarded as analogous in its structure or functions to a living body: the social organism.

    While the root words seem to indicate that a plant with a controller chip would fit the term cyporg, actual usage seems to be restricted to human or human like organisms. Some more definitions:

    cyber- (pref.) Computer: cyberpunk. Computer network: cyberspace.

    -phyte (suff.) A plant with a specified character or habitat: halophyte. A pathological growth: osteophyte.

    Combining these terms results in the word cyberphyte , a plant characterized by being part of a computer network. How does this sound? Does anyone have other ideas for a good, descriptive term for this type of organism? Perhaps something that includes a hint at the ability to be genetically reprogrammed? I'm kinda stumped about that part and don't know if that is too specific.

    --
    science is a religion
    1. Re:But what to call it? by eris_crow · · Score: 1

      You've almost got it! Try cyborganism .

      Eris

    2. Re:But what to call it? by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 1

      cybotan

      Dancin Santa

  4. MORE THC... by big_groo · · Score: 1

    Pot growers rejoice!!!

  5. Re:Crackers by th3rd · · Score: 1

    That's right... and could create serious problems. Esp. if the communication was done by radio, anyone could crack the frequency and destroy a whole crop. So I guess there would have to be so much monitoring involved it might just be easier to grow normal plants. Also, as the plant grows, the computer chip won't, because it isn't a natural part of the plant. The chip could end up in a different part of the plant than where it started...

    --
    You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace.
  6. Crackers by music+tinker · · Score: 1

    If this is implemented we'll have to start worrying about crackers taking over wheat fields and the like.