Electric Plant raises $11.2 million for Bombadil plant-signal AI

Electric Plant's origin traces to a cyborg plant: Justin Mast came across research about a houseplant wired to a motorized stand that wheeled itself toward light when electrical signals flowed through its tissues. That led him to partner with Lee von Kraus, a neuroscientist who has worked with DARPA, and the two have spent the past three years collecting data to build Bombadil.

The startup positions its approach against tools like soil probes, handheld spectroscopes, and satellite imagery, which Mast described as sophisticated but lagging behind the real-time needs of the plant. Electric Plant used those devices to train Bombadil, and Mast said he expects the model to surpass a lot of that equipment. The sensors are also significantly cheaper than existing tools, which generally cost thousands of dollars — "This is tens of dollars," Mast said.

Mast claims the system can boost yields while reducing water use by 20% or more, and he describes Bombadil as "the most diverse model ever created on biological electrical signals." The company's initial customers remain undisclosed, though the applications Mast points to are in agriculture and forestry.