Electric Plant has raised $11.2 million in seed funding to commercialize an AI system that interprets electrical signals inside living plants to identify their needs. Its technology combines low-cost sensors with an AI model called Bombadil, helping growers monitor plant health and adjust watering or fertilizer schedules based on physiological activity.
The funding round announced on October 20 was led by Onto Ventures and Climactic, with participation from Ponderosa, Endeavor Catalyst, Ludlow, Michigan Rise, The Fund, Schox VC, and Dug Song. The company has spent three years collecting biological data to develop its plant-monitoring technology.
Founded by CEO Justin Mast and neuroscientist Lee von Kraus, who previously worked with DARPA, Electric Plant draws inspiration from research involving a houseplant connected to a motorized stand. The experimental system detected electrical signals indicating the plant needed more light and automatically moved it toward the light source.
Bombadil Uses Electrical Signals to Monitor Plant Health
Bombadil is an AI model trained to interpret changes in electrical activity within living plant tissues. The system currently supports approximately 125 plant species, including tomatoes, ferns, dahlias, and redwoods, according to Mast.
Unlike conventional agricultural monitoring tools that measure soil moisture, environmental conditions, or reflected light, Bombadil analyzes electrical activity directly from the plant. Mast said existing technologies often provide delayed information about a plant’s immediate requirements.
Electric Plant uses sensors approximately the size of a smartphone folded lengthwise, attached to plants using stainless steel screws. The screws penetrate the cambium, a layer of living tissue beneath the bark, allowing the sensors to detect electrical changes measured in microvolts.
The sensors transmit readings through a low-power wireless network to a nearby base station. Bombadil processes the information in the cloud and returns recommendations that growers can use to adjust irrigation and nutrient management.
Electric Plant Targets Lower Costs and Reduced Water Consumption
According to Mast, the company’s sensors cost tens of dollars, compared with thousands of dollars for some existing agricultural monitoring equipment. He said approximately two sensors per acre are sufficient to collect reliable information about plant conditions.
Mast also claims the technology could increase crop yields while reducing water consumption by 20% or more. However, the company has not disclosed the identities of its initial customers or published detailed commercial performance results.
Electric Plant is targeting applications in agriculture, forestry, and greenhouse operations, where monitoring plant health can support resource management. Its founders eventually hope to develop technology that supports two-way interactions between people and plants, although the current system focuses on interpreting electrical activity.
“We’re listening more than we’re speaking, but listening’s the first step,” Mast told TechCrunch. He also described Bombadil as the most diverse AI model developed for interpreting biological electrical signals.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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