The project involves a multi-disciplinary and transnational consortium composed of six partners from Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, and Cyprus. The research teams combine different scientific and technological skills from (bio)engineers, biologists, material scientists, computer scientists, mathematicians, roboticists, and environmental scientists.
The interdisciplinary nature of the I-Seed consortium aims at increasing the links for a new community of biorobotics for the environment and at developing innovative artificial “green” solutions with a science-based approach inspired by Nature (and specifically from Plant Kingdom), dedicated to the monitoring and safeguard of our environment, as well as for a better understanding of natural phenomena.
Teams major expertises and roles
Project Coordinator
Team members major expertises:
bio-inspired robotics, soft robotics, smart and multi-functional materials
Main S&T activities:
bioengineering investigations of natural seeds for bioinspired robotic design; design and development of seed-inspired soft robots based on multi-functional materials
Website:
https://www.iit.it/
Principal Investigator:
Barbara Mazzolai
Project Partner
Team members major expertises:
soft electronic materials; particles agglomeration, dispersion, stability
Main S&T activities:
materials-integrated sensors; analyte mass transport, absorption, and fluorescence response; excitation and fluorescence for LiDAR read-out
Website:
https://www.leibniz-inm.de/
Principal Investigator:
Tobias Kraus 
Project Partner
Team members major expertises:
environmental science and policy
Main S&T activities:
environmental scenario, validation sites, Standard Operating Protocols; data models, management and validation; policy-relevant initiatives
Website:
www.cnr.it/
Principal Investigator:
Nicola Pirrone 
Project Partner
Team members major expertises:
Drones and LiDAR/laser-induced fluorescence systems
Main S&T activities:
laser-induced fluorescence system for drone operations
Website:
https://www.wur.nl/
Principal Investigator:
Lammert Kooistra
Project Partner
Team members major expertises:
mathematical modelling of natural and artificial systems
Main S&T activities:
modelling of the mechanics of biological seeds and artificial I-Seeds
Website:
https://www.santannapisa.it/
Principal Investigator:
Antonio De Simone
Project Partner
Team members major expertises:
drones AI; LiDAR
Main S&T activities:
development of the embedded software for georeferencing LiDAR data; development of an Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning loopback feed for data-driven flight
Principal Investigator:
Antoine Cottin