Living Organisms as Sensors for Biohybrid Monitoring Systems

Abstract

Many aquatic habitats have become vulnerable to rapid and long-term changes induced by industrialism, air pollution, tourism, fishing activities etc. These factors created an urgent need for extensive water monitoring and conservation. By observing the behaviour of lifeforms, we can monitor the state of the environment. Here, we present the methodology, calibration approaches and preliminary results of designing a biohybrid entity for aquatic monitoring. Biohybrid robots combine mechanical and electronic elements with living organisms or tissues. This biohybrid consists of several modules, each hosting or attracting different species and communities. We focus on animals such as Daphnia sp., zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and various representatives of the plankton community. The first results showed that 1) both Daphnia and D. polymorpha show no clear signs of confinement-induced stress, 2) the designed structures are examples of suitable tools for hosting the organisms, observing their behaviour and collecting and storing data and 3) their behaviour can be calibrated under laboratory conditions to be able to extrapolate the field data into environmental data.