Venus flytrap cyborg snaps shut with commands from a smartphone

Venus flytraps may be tricked into snapping shut on command, researchers have proven, successfully turning them into organic robots that may be managed wirelessly.

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant that catches its prey, equivalent to flies, by snapping its round leaves shut round it. The leaves’ edges are studded with skinny hairs that generate electrical impulses when an insect touches them – this burst of electrical energy causes the entice to shut in as little as 0.1 seconds. …