It’s been touted as the first-ever plant-powered sensor that has successfully transmitted to a satellite in space.
According to reports, this pilot service uses plants as the energy source. It has been developed by Plant-e and Lacuna Space.
The sensor does not require batteries which will reduce cost, maintenance requirements and environmental impact. As long as plants continue to grow, electricity will be produced.
Plant-e is a startup from Wageningen, the Netherlands, and has developed a technology to harvest electrical energy from living plants and bacteria to generate carbon-negative electricity. The UK based Lacuna will soon launch a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite system that will provide a global Internet-of-Things service. The service allows collecting data from sensors even in remote areas with little or no connectivity.