The EU-funded GrowBot project studied how climbing plants attach, move and grow, then used those observations to develop robotic materials and control systems. CORDIS reported the results in December 2023.
The work produced platforms for plant-inspired growth, environmental exploration and energy harvesting. Researchers also developed soft components, artificial attachment mechanisms and bio-hybrid energy solutions that could be used independently. Precision agriculture was among the potential application areas identified by the team. Further work was directed toward improving the self-growing robot’s design and control and exploring environmental sensing. These are research platforms and enabling technologies, rather than evidence of a ready-to-buy agricultural climbing robot.
