Miniaturized sensors, now ubiquitous in bracelets, smartwatches, and clothing, are being used to monitor a wide array of human physiological parameters 24 hours a day. A research team from the University of Campus Bio-Medico in Rome, which has been developing this technology for years, has now tested its application in the plant world. This innovative use is featured in the “City of Plants” installation by studio Mad, presented at the 2025 Venice Biennale.
The installation merges art with scientific research, inviting visitors to explore the relationship between architecture, nature, and technology through three interconnected systems where the environment interacts with human presence. Biosensors play a central role in this experience.
While wearable sensors measure human metrics like heart activity, respiratory function, temperature, and joint movement—detecting anomalies or guiding rehabilitation—plants also emit signals. The new technology leverages this characteristic to animate the Biennale exhibit.
“Plants send messages that can be coded and interpreted through biosensors placed in cases near them,” explains Daniela Lo Presti, a researcher from the university’s Biomedical Measurements and Instrumentation Unit, who developed the sensors that enable plants to communicate with visitors.
The lightweight, transparent sensors “detect environmental information related to the plants’ health status, and the collected data is transformed into sounds and lights, generating an immersive, ever-evolving environment.” Additional sensors detect vibrations from visitors stepping on gravel and convert them into sounds, providing a perception of the interaction between humans and nature.
Applying biosensors to the plant world is “a project born spontaneously from the creative ideas and enthusiasm of our researchers, who knew how to team up both inside and outside our university,” stated Eugenio Guglielmelli, Rector of the University of Campus Bio-Medico in Rome. He added that this is emblematic of the university’s open, inclusive, and interdisciplinary values.
“We brought our extensive experience in developing optical fiber-based sensors, which we routinely use in our wearable systems and measurement technology,” said Emiliano Schena, Head of the Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering. “These tools provide valuable, accurate data on human health. But plants are also living beings, and the information captured from them via sensors allows us to glean useful insights related to the plant’s growth and its surrounding environment.”