Prof. Alper Bozkurt is a McPherson Distinguished Professor in Engineering Entrepreneurship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina (NC) State University. Prof. Bozkurt is the founder and Director of the Integrated Bionic MicroSystems (iBionicS) Laboratory at NC State, where he explores novel interfaces with diverse organisms, including plants. Prof. Bozkurt is the Co-Director of the National Science Foundation Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) and of the Institute of Connected Sensor Systems (IConS) at NC State University.

Abstract

“An Internet of Bionic Things”

Bioelectricity and neural engineering have already made a big impact in medicine—from helping people hear again to repairing damage after heart attacks. The potential, however, goes far beyond treating human conditions. These tools open up fascinating possibilities for connecting with other living systems, like plants and animals, and creating new ways to communicate with them.

In this talk, recent work at NC State University on building interfaces with plants to monitor their responses to environmental stress and disease will be presented. This is part of a broader vision of using bioelectronic technologies to create bionic cyber-physical systems that blend biology with engineering. By working with living systems—not just as subjects, but as collaborators—we can develop new tools for addressing challenges such as pollution monitoring and search-and-rescue operations. Ultimately, this approach aims to both engineer biology and learn from it, offering a new perspective in which the boundaries between technology and nature become increasingly blurred.