Argus

Nanosensors Inside Plants for Parsons School of Design

Argus is a living plant with nano sensors inside its leaves that continuously monitor water for heavy metal impurities. Nanometer scale chemical-based sensors are injected inside the leaves through pressure injection. These sensors produce a visible glow on the leaf of a plant. Argus, a bio-hybrid plant, naturally samples water in the environment and any impurities that come along with it. When lead impurities from the environment come in contact with these sensors, the florescence is quenched to indicate that there are impurities in the environment.

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Argus by Harpreet Singh Sareen

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Nanosensors Inside Plants by Harpreet Singh Sareen

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Harpreet Singh Sareen Argus

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Harpreet Singh Sareen Nanosensors Inside Plants

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Argus Nanosensors Inside Plants Press Releases

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Argus Nanosensors Inside Plants Media Articles

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Unique Properties

Argus is a living plant that continuously monitors water for heavy metal impurities, with nanosensors inside its leaves. These sensors, of the order 2nm, are injected inside the leaves and stay within the intercellular space. A living plant continuously samples water in the environment and any impurities that come along with it. Such method of detecting heavy metal toxicity is real time, showing a visible output within 15mins to 2 hours, in contrast to current lab methods.

Tags

nanosensors, carbon nanotubes, living plants, DNA, water monitoring

Production Technology

Argus is a plant with DNA nanosensors inside it that detects Lead (Pb2 Heavy Metal). This novel method allows living plants to provide an optical readout of Lead in water. First, a DNAZyme is used as sensor assay inside leaves, double stranded DNA that breaks into single stranded on contact with Pb2 and binds to single walled carbon nanotubes. Following introduction of Pb2 ions, the fluorescence output is quenched and this reduction is proportional to the Lead(II) concentration.

Design Challenge

The following challenges had to be overcome to create world's first electricity free water monitoring platform. No current real time off the shelf sensors exist for Lead toxicity monitoring. Sample testing takes approximately 1 to 2 weeks. The chemical sensors inside plants also needed a digital connection with the digital world. This sensor scheme did not have to use electricity, since it relies on a plant acting like a motor. Such process is then able to sample water 24 hours a day.

Project Duration

This project was stated in 2017 and finished in 2019. It has been exhibited around the world such as Science Gallery Bangalore, Future of Everything WSJ Festival in NYC.

Operation Flow

Argus has nanonsensors injected inside the leaves of a living plant. A plant is like a natural motor in the environment operating twenty four hours without electricity. It continuously samples water and with that any impurities as well. Our nanosensors normally produce a visible glow of a specific light wavelength on the plant. When lead impurities from the environment come in contact with the nanosensors, this glow disappears to indicate that there are impurities in the environment.

Research

Industrial waste management has lead to depletion of water quality in rivers in many regions. Current processes of monitoring the water quality are not realtime. Our traditional sensors have been centered around synthetic and completely artificial techniques. We propose new nanosensors providing auxiliary sensing in conjunction with the natural system of a plant. These nanosensors provide an optical readout of lead in water by relying on a plants natural function near riverbeds.

Inspiration

This project is motivated by Flint water crisis, New Jersey school water problems, Austin Mar 2019 water advisory and many more. Current trend shows that by the time impurities are usually found in residential or agricultural, it is too late and has previously proven to be fatal. This is because continuous, cheap or off the shelf monitoring methods along river beds do not exist today. Argus on the other hand, provides an electricity free fully continuous water monitoring platform.

Image Credits

Images: Harpreet Sareen CC 4.0 Motion graphics: Jiefu Zheng

Project Overview

Argus Nanosensors Inside Plants has been a Silver winner in the Cybernetics, Prosthesis and Implant Design award category in the year 2020 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Silver Recognition

Harpreet Singh Sareen was recognized with the coveted Silver A' Design Award in 2021, a testament to excellence of their work Argus Nanosensors Inside Plants.

Harpreet Singh Sareen Press Releases

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Revolutionizing Water Monitoring with Argus: A Living Plant with Nanosensors

Harpreet Singh Sareen introduces Argus, a living plant with nanosensors, revolutionizing water monitoring with real-time lead detection

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