Can you hold? My plant's on the other line...

Another profile I am working on for my "Faces of Innovation" project (and another Computerworld article) is NYU professor Rob Faludi. He is a sociable object genius who is interested in creating ways in which humans can communicate with inanimate objects. Much of this is done using wireless sensors (ie the XBee radios). One example is a kit which allows your favorite leafy plant friend to send you a Twitter message on your phone when it needs water. Soon we will be applying this concept to many objects. Other projects include using similar technology to create light in dark spaces and help combat climate change. More information can be found here.