Plants

Women and girls in industrial countries may have ready access to inexpensive menstrual pads, but such is not always the case in developing nations. That may soon change, however, thanks to the sisal plant.

There are many terrarium plants that are nice to look at, but difficult to grow. The Air & Light + self-contained mini-terrarium is designed to make things easier, by taking care of lighting and ventilation for you.

After attracting more than 15,000 growers across 10 countries since its 2021 launch, the Auk indoor garden is now on its way to the US for the promise of year-round herbs, greens and tomatoes direct from the kitchen countertop.

Folks looking to harvest a steady supply of fresh greens from their kitchen may have limited success with pots at the window. SproutHub automates growing on the countertop, with the promise of an easy weekly harvest.

Back in 2015, French startup Véritable hit Kickstarter with a countertop Garden designed to automate growing of fresh micro-greens and herbs. Now the company has returned with a modular system that can be tweaked for indoor and outdoor use.

Nothing can rescue a bland meal quite like fresh herbs, but not everyone has access to outdoor space to grow their own. That's where indoor smart gardens come in, and the latest from Plantone allows growers to use regular soil and seeds.

Just like their field-dwelling counterparts, plants grown in greenhouses are preyed upon by flying insects. The Dutch-designed PATS system is designed to help, by sending tiny drones to chop those insects up in mid-air.

Nobody likes the idea of herbicides in their veggies, yet hiring workers to pick weeds by hand can be prohibitively expensive. The Vulcan farm implement offers an alternative, as it automatically spots and yanks weeds while leaving crop plants alone.

In order to see how well a corn plant is performing photosynthesis, you need to check the angle of its leaves relative to its stem. And while scientists ordinarily have to do so with a protractor, a new robotic system can now do the job much quicker.

We've all heard how it's a good idea to have plants in your home, as they purify the air. Well, the bioengineered Neo P1 is said to excel in that department, as it's reportedly equivalent to up to 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification.

When we think of agricultural robots, we tend to picture things that pick produce or apply chemicals. The SentiV is different, though, in that it's designed to check crops for problems while autonomously wandering the fields.

For over a decade, artist David Bowen has explored the strange relationship between the natural world and robotics. His latest sculpture uses the electrical signals of a houseplant to control a swinging machete.