Argus
Argus was a prototype for a bionic plant that continuously monitored water for toxic impurities through nanosensors in its leaves. The nanosensors gave it a glow, which vanished in the presence of heavy metals like lead.
Our current methods of water monitoring are outdated and slow. Fatal toxicity due to industrial heavy metals, on an average takes two weeks to report. Other detrimental indicators of bacteria, radiation and other microorganisms can go unreported for months, often detected too late for humans and crops. In a quest to provide real-time, scalable and electricity free 24x7 water quality monitoring, the artist showcased a modern method through living plants with nanosensors inside them.
About the Scholar/Artist
Harpreet Sareen is a scientist, artist and educator based in New York. His work is situated at the intersection of Material Science, Biology and Electronics and draws on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. Sareen terms this as 'Convergent Design' to create hybrid substrates and bionic materials that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems and interaction design.
Sareen is an Assistant Professor of Interaction and Media Design at Parsons School of Design, New York. He also directs the Synthetic Ecosystems Lab that focusses on biological futures, their implications in interaction design, and the cybernetics of organisms and materials.
Sareen earned a graduate degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab and has previously lived and worked in the Austria, India, Japan, Singapore and USA. His experience spans corporate research wings, studios, museums to academic centers having previously worked at Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab, Ars Electronica Museum, National University of Singapore, Keio University and more. His projects are often a synergistic integration of robotics, software, electronics for prototype or final interactive experiences.
Connected Programmes
X-filtration by Krithika Ramachander - a workshop on using plant tissues to filter water
What’s in Your Water - a workshop to test fluoride and chloride level in water samples