Nota Bene! Magazine

Here is an example of a more far-reaching industrial design: HerbaScanner. This unique device is a battery powered portable scanner designed specifically for the purpose of collecting scans of flora around you. Russian product design studio describes the device as follows:

Herborization is a useful and educative occupation for teenagers who want to explore nature of their own region or during traveling around the world. But in order to botanize a usual herbarium one should pick up a plant, then keep it in heavy card-boards between cardboard sheets, where with time leaves, flowers and herbs lose their natural colour. Besides the fact that it is harmful for nature, it is very much subjected to the influence of time. Moreover, it is not thought out how to preserve plants.

Herba Scanner is invented to avoid these negative effects. Firstly, one does not have to pick up plants for botanizing. What one has to do is only to place a pattern between the two parts of the scanner and press a button. Thus the process of scanning begins. When the process is finished, the scanner should be opened (like a book), the plant should be put out of the scanner and it continues growing, just as if nothing had happened.

A novel and very nature-friendly approach to creating your herbarium. Not sure if this is available anymore.