Green

Robot Plant Powered By Polluted Water

Gilberto Esparza, a Mexican artist has developed ‘Planta Nomada’, which can also be called ‘Nomadic Plant’ – it is an amalgamation of a machine and a plant which holds micro organisms and plants from the Lerma Santiago River in Mexico which is heavily polluted and then converts these elements into electrical energy.

Esparza’s creation, a fabulously ‘green’ robot is driven by a microbial fuel cell. The self sufficient robot uses its multiple legs to move towards water when it needs to be recharged. The robot ‘walks’ towards the water, and using a tube, sucks in the water, and then turns it into electricity. The plants the robot already has are also nourished by the water taken in. One expert, while commending the newly developed robot said that its locomotive system was still a bit doubtful, as it could quite likely fall into the river while trying to replenish its supply of polluted water.

The Nomadic Plant is referred to by LABoral as “a metaphor for the alienated human condition and the impact its activity has on nature. The work is ongoing experimentation hoping to instigate critical reflections on the ambiguity of the force wielded by technology.”

While Esparza’s creation leans more towards art, his ‘Nomadic Plant’ robot makes you think: the fact that a self sufficient robot, cleans up as it goes, using up polluted water in order to up its energy levels, while also giving life to the vegetation on it. This could even be a good enough pointer for the future in terms of fine-tuning plant life in order to survive and live off polluted environments.