Biohybrids · Project

Plant-Connected Sensors That Monitor Indoor Air and Power Smart Home Systems

digitalPilotedTRL 7

cybertronica.de.com

Imagine sticking a small device on a houseplant and suddenly that plant becomes a living air quality sensor. The device reads the plant's stress signals — like a mood ring for biology — and tells your smart home if something is off: bad air, pollution, temperature problems. It also works outdoors on trees to detect environmental damage early. The same technology can connect plants to mixed-reality experiences and entertainment systems, turning biology into a digital interface.

By the numbers

24 months

Duration of multi-location prototype testing

EUR 99,960

EU contribution for exploitation strategy

100%

Industry ratio in consortium

Demonstrator deliverable completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Buildings and cities lack biological insight into air quality and environmental health. Synthetic sensors measure chemicals but miss the complex biological reality of whether a space is actually healthy for living things. Companies in smart home, urban ecology, and immersive entertainment need sensor data grounded in real biological response, not just chemical readings.

The solution

What was built

Fully operational phytosensor prototypes — embedded electronic devices that connect to plants and trees to measure physiological and environmental parameters. A demonstrator of the innovation was delivered. The devices process data locally using stored biological models and were tested across multiple indoor and urban locations.

Audience

Who needs this

Smart home device manufacturers adding environmental sensing capabilitiesUrban forestry and green infrastructure management companiesMixed-reality and interactive experience studiosIndoor air quality monitoring service providersPropTech companies building healthy-building platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Smart Home & Building Automation

SME

Target: Smart home device manufacturers and building management system providers

If you are a smart home company looking for a new category of environmental sensor — this project developed a plant-connected device (phytosensor) that turns any houseplant into a living indoor air quality monitor. Fully operational prototypes were tested in multiple indoor locations over 24 months. It plugs into existing digital infrastructures and offers a biologically-grounded alternative to synthetic sensors.

Urban Ecology & Environmental Monitoring

any

Target: Environmental consulting firms and municipal green infrastructure managers

If you are an environmental services provider needing early detection of urban pollution or ecological stress — this project built a sensor system that reads tree and plant physiology to flag environmental pathogenicity before visible damage occurs. Prototypes were tested in urban applications across multiple locations. It provides biological monitoring data that synthetic sensors simply cannot replicate.

Entertainment & Mixed Reality

SME

Target: Mixed-reality experience designers and interactive installation studios

If you are a creative technology studio building immersive experiences — this project created a bio-hybrid interface that translates live plant signals into data streams for mixed-reality systems and robot actuators. The phytosensor was an Innovation Radar 2019 finalist. It enables a genuinely new interaction layer where living organisms respond to and shape digital environments.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would a phytosensor unit cost to deploy?

Based on available project data, specific unit pricing is not disclosed. The total EU contribution was EUR 99,960 for a Coordination and Support Action focused on exploitation strategy, not hardware R&D. As an SME-developed product targeting both B2B and B2C markets, commercial pricing would need to be discussed directly with the developer.

Can this scale to monitor an entire building or urban district?

The objective states prototypes were tested in multiple indoor and urban locations over 24 months, demonstrating both indoor and city-scale applicability. The system processes data locally on the device using stored models, which supports distributed deployment without heavy cloud dependency.

Who owns the IP and how is it licensed?

CYBRES GmbH, a German SME and sole consortium partner, developed and owns the technology. The project builds on results from the earlier Flora Robotica project. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with CYBRES GmbH.

Does this comply with environmental monitoring regulations?

Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned. The system is described as enabling biological monitoring of indoor conditions and urban ecologies for early detection of pollution. Any deployment for regulatory compliance purposes would require validation against local standards.

How quickly can this be integrated into existing smart home platforms?

The objective describes integration into digital infrastructures and smart-home systems as a core use case. The phytosensor provides physiological data that can interface with mixed-reality systems and robot actuators, suggesting standard data output protocols. Specific integration timelines are not stated in the project data.

What is the current development status?

The project describes fully operational prototypes tested in multiple locations over 24 months. It was an Innovation Radar 2019 finalist. The CSA project itself focused on exploitation strategy to bring the technology to B2B and B2C markets, indicating the hardware was already functional before this project began.

Is there ongoing technical support or further development?

CYBRES GmbH is the sole developer and an active SME. The project website at cybertronica.de.com/products/phytosensor may have current product information. As a single-company project, ongoing support depends entirely on the company's commercial operations.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project run entirely by CYBRES GmbH, a German SME. With 100% industry participation and no university or research partners, the consortium signals a commercially-driven effort rather than an academic exercise. The EUR 99,960 budget and CSA funding scheme confirm this was an exploitation and market preparation project, not fundamental research. For a potential business partner, this means the technology owner is a private company with clear commercial intent — negotiations would be straightforward and direct, without navigating university tech transfer offices or multi-partner IP agreements.

CYBRES GMBHCoordinator · DE

How to reach the team

CYBRES GmbH, Germany — contact via SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how plant-based sensing could fit your smart home or environmental monitoring product line? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the development team and provide a detailed technology brief.

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