A Tiny Robot that can Reforest the Planet

A tiny robot may be our only chance to save the ecosystem. It sounds crazy, but this little innovation can reforest the whole planet, saving thousands of endangered species and replenishing our natural resources. 

So what is this wonder robot that will change the face of the Earth? 

Here's how it works. 

All you need is to place it on the ground and it will slowly start buying itself. If you attach a seed to it, the robot plants it deep underground. It behaves just like a Hygromorph, a natural structure that changes shape in response to the environment and its conditions, like humidity. Morphing matter lab, a team of researchers behind the innovation, came up with a simple yet genius design that has three anchor points that prevent the structure from flipping over or falling down. It always faces downwards at a specific angle to penetrate the ground and plant itself. The secret is in the number of coils. More coils will soften the structure, but having too few of these coils wouldn't have enough thrust force actuation effect. By drilling the seed deep enough, the structure keeps it safe underground from natural threats, like fires, rains or animals. When the robot comes in contact with moisture, the wood expands, but the inner layer cells do it faster than the outer layer, causing it to coil. When it dries, it changes speed again with inner layer cells pushing the seed deeper into the soil. The choice of material for these robots became oakwood, one of the strongest and most accessible. Back in the lab, they run a series of chemical processes to make tiny pieces of wood pliable and keep its strength. Then they introduce mechanical molding to produce an intricate structure. 

It's a unique design of a robot because it doesn't require any more materials to be made from. No synthetic or plastics are involved, which are already damaging our planet. Wood is biodegradable, so it wouldn't become a waste in forests. 

One of the most important tests they conducted was airdropping multiple seeds from drones. As a result, such cases maintained a success rate of 90%. What's more convenient is that robots can be implanted with symbiotic species, like fungi and nematodes that help to increase the survival rate of plants in a natural environment. 

Maybe a "robot" is not the right name for it. Instead let's call it a "copy of the Erodium plant". This plant produces seeds with a hydromorphic tail-like structure that helps the seed to propel itself into the ground. It then coils and uncoils, trying to drill the seed further into the soil. This plant was an inspiration to the team, but it had its downside that needed to be fixed due to its low success rate. Erodium seeds have a hard time drilling themselves into the ground, and harder terrains bring their chances to zero. So that's why these engineers took a stance and improved the design to make it work all the time! 

What's more fascinating is that the robot can hold various seeds and plant every wood type, enabling the responsibility of reforesting all terrains on the planet. With innovations like this, it's only a matter of years before the world will start recovering to its original look.

As we witness the dawn of innovations like these, the trajectory toward a greener, more sustainable Earth seems inevitable. With each wood-coiled robot, we inch closer to the day when the scars on our planet start healing, and nature reclaims its original splendor. The tiny robot, a beacon of hope, signals that our future can indeed be a thriving, balanced ecosystem.

In the years to come, as these robots continue their silent work, we may witness the resurgence of our planet, a testament to the resilience of human ingenuity when aligned with nature's wisdom.