WE SPEAK PLANTISH

When technology and science meet, great things can happen.Photon Systems Instruments, also known as PSI, is a Czech company that develops professional phenotyping systems for plant science and algae biotechnology that are being used by plant scientists around the globe. The Central European Institute of Technology, also known as CEITEC, is a modern and dynamic interdisciplinary research centre that is focused on life sciences, advanced materials, and nanotechnologies. CEITEC, with its state-of-the-art laboratories, is an important research centre in the South Moravian region, and is gradually becoming a respected player at the international level.

Thanks to the modern phenotyping technology that PSI develops, plant scientists at CEITEC can determine how plants are feeling and what they need. This technology allows scientists to understand the subtle but fascinating language of plants. Therefore, we claim: We speak Plantish!

Speaking Plantish means for us to be in sync with the plants, understanding their health, their mood, their well-being, on a given day or in certain moment, and under various conditions. Plants are really important for the planet and for all living things! All living things, including humans, need plants to live – to breathe, to eat them, to live in them, and to clean our water. We can now speak and understand the language of plants thanks to the sophisticated phenotyping platforms that are developed to grow plants under desired conditions. We can follow the plants’ well-being during various time spans ranging from hours to weeks or even months, we can record the data, and analyse it. And all this without harming or even touching the plant!

You can imagine the phenotyping platform as a modern plant maintenance house that can move the plants with the help of integrated robotic solutions, with care and without human interference. The plants are placed in single pots and move through different rooms with semi-controlled conditions with various features. Single pots in transportation disks are carried from a cultivation area towards imaging units and irrigation stations. In the watering room, the actual weight of the plant is measured and recorded in order to add the desired amount of water required for the optimal growth of the plant.

Digital data about plants are acquired from top and multiple-angle side views. The led lamps placed above the pots are simulating sunlight and can be adjusted as needed to mimic various times of the day, light intensity and light spectrum. On the right side you can see the automated irrigation system providing plants with the right amount of water. Thanks to the phenotyping system, scientists can know how every single plant feels at any given moment! It serves as a translator of the language of plants, telling us whether plants are feeling stressed or not. And today, you have a chance to speak PLANTISH as well! Welcome to the fascinating world of plants!

Take a picture with our phenotyping system and post it on social media with the following hashtags:
#WESPEAKPLANTISH
#ceitecscience
#photonsystemsintruments

Visit the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2020! You can currently meet our project manager Jiří Fajkus there. And if the trip to Dubai is unrealistic at the moment, you can visit the pavilion using a virtual tour:

Virtual tour of Czech exhibition

Video "WE SPEAK PLANTISH"
The We Speak Plantish exhibit is a fully automated robotic line that can read how plants respond to various conditions and shocks. Based on the obtained data, they can suggest appropriate care for them. In the national pavilion, visitors will find out how plants respond to music, for example.

The We Speak Plantish exhibit in Dubai

Instalation in Dubai