Chonnam National University /Yonhap
The robot research laboratory at Chonnam National University has developed a robotic plant that has humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functions. The robot was developed using characteristics of plants normally grown for ornamental purposes. It is 130 cm tall and 40 cm in diameter and consists of a pot, a stem, and five buds of a flower reminiscent of a rose of Sharon. See the rest of the story here.
Robotic plants to produce oxygen are an interesting idea. So if the plant robot could also remove carbon dioxide in the process, then it would mimic a real plant's function in limiting greenhouse gases. Of course, you would need a lot of robotic plants to accomplish the task of removing excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, but it does make you think about it.
This article also makes the point that this type of robot opens a new field (pun intended) for robotics
. We have seen many types of robots imitating animal and insect functions. Now it is the turn of the flora of the world to provide the next innovative robots.
Links for this article.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200810/200810160007.html