Scientists create plant-based sensor to monitor the levels of arsenic in the ground This can be used for environmental monitoring and for food safety since arsenic is a common contaminant for agricultural products as rice, vegetables and tea leaves. Dec 16, 2020 11:51:39 IST Scientists from MIT have now developed a plant nano bionic optical sensor that will enable them to detect and monitor toxic heavy metal arsenic in real-time. According to a release by MIT, scientists from the Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) research group at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) engineered the novel type of plant nano bionic optical sensor. Researchers say the development provides significant advantages over conventional methods that are used to measure arsenic in the environment.