14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa claim to have successfully created robotic plants that, although made from metal and wires, behave just as if they were real.
The researchers explain their plants have roots that, when planted into the soil, unfurl and extend.
After the high-tech roots get comfortable with their new surroundings, they start collecting data concerning the environment the plants find themselves in, Inhabitat says.
Apparently, they can gather information about gravity, water, pH and other variables, the same source informs us.
The scientists who worked on developing these plants hope that, at some point in the future, they will be used to test the soil in contaminated areas and in disaster zones.
In time, it might happen that these plants will be used to test environmental conditions in space.
The researchers plan to further improve of their creations. More precisely, they wish to figure out a way to make the roots of these plants communicate with one another.