I was very surprised to find a tweet about a vegetal cyborg. The french start-up Still Human created a system which leads a plant to have ‘legs’. Being able to move, the plant can fulfill its needs. For example, it can look for water or sunlight. The credo of the duo is:
EN – Gå.ia is a robotic concept aiming at giving plants a brain and legs nature didn’t give them. It will lead plants to form a vegetal society evolving in a human society.
FR – Gå.ia est un concept de robot visant à fournir aux plantes le cerveau et les jambes que la nature ne leurs a pas confié afin d’en faire une société végétale au sein de la société humaine.
I like the concept a lot. It combines industrial design, interaction design and technology. But I don’t fully agree with the vision of a plant as a static element. Vegetal entities usually have roots, looking for water. Sometimes these roots can be very strong and take back what humans created. They can ‘move’ and reproduce thanks to pollen [and thanks bees, insects, wind and sun]. What I do agree with is the fact that it makes plants more alive. In a world where people don’t take the time to enjoy things, where they don’t take the time to rest and observe, there is a risk to miss the beauty of little things evolving at a different rhythm.