Transparent electrodes thinner than a wavelength of light can detect plant stress before wilting

Transparent nanofilm electrodes measuring between 70 and 320 nanometers thick can detect plant stress signals long before a human eye perceives physical damage. Developed by researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Science, these ultra-thin sensors are composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes. They are delicate enough to allow microscopic leaf hairs, or trichomes, to pierce through them without causing cellular trauma, maintaining a constant electrical connection with the leaf epidermis.