Last monday, before we presented our opportunity at MassChallenge, we knew we wanted to make plants more interactive, empowering them with the ability to communicate their needs. That green thing sitting in the corner, doing nothing except taking dust and that (once again) you forgot to water, is a living thing and, as all living things, has the ability to feel things, in its own plant way. But how can you possibly know what is happening inside that mess of chlorophill, twigs and leaves if your plant refuses to give you any hint?
The recipe is pretty simple: put a bunch electronic device into a pot and voilà, your plant isn’t a mere decoration anymore: now you can immediately see whether your plant feels thirsty, hot or even uncomfortable because its roots are too big for its small pot. One day you will come back home and see that your bonsai is happy because spring is behind the corner or maybe it will feel lonely because you forgot to water it.
As said above, before MassChallenge we knew we wanted to give plants the power to express their feelings. But now, thanks to the suggestion of a professor, an idea started making its way into our minds: what if plants could give us power in exchange?
Plants have been around for 470 billions of years, the same time it took evolution to make them the perfect solar panel, one that can convert every sun ray and into energy.
What if your plant, with its wonderful chemical factory, could help you turn the energy of the sun into electricity?
Stay tuned, we will post the answer next week!