Scientists Developing Robot Bees to Pollinate Crops as Bee Populations Decline
By Digilyfe Founder & Lead Editor Steve Brown @Stevebtech
Scientists Are Developing Flying RoboBees to Pollinate Crops as Bee Populations Decline.
If you haven’t heard in recent years, Honey bee populations around the world have been in decline at an alarming rate. Various factors ranging from heavy pesticides, to infectious ‘super mites’, are causing Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and have scientists very concerned about the future of the bees. Little known fact that bees pollenate 60% of the food we eat and even though all of this will take some time to unfold, if action is not taken now, the planet’s agricultural ecosystems could be in serious peril in the future.
In an effort to rectify this impending problem, a team of Harvard University scientists are working on a swarm of miniature Robotic Bees that could pollinate flowers and do the job of real bees if required.
Speaking to Scientific American, the team leaders said: “In 2016 the three of us began to seriously consider what it would take to create a robotic bee colony.” “We wondered if mechanical bees could replicate not just an individual’s behavior, but the unique behavior that emerges out of interactions among thousands of bees.” “We have now created the first RoboBees—flying bee-size robots—and are working on methods to make thousands of them cooperate like a real hive.”
The technical term the scientist use is called “biomimicking” & not only could these robots be used to pollinate flowers (in theory), but could be used to study climate, & ecological effects in other living species as well. There are several studies being conducted on Honey bees and Colony Collapse Disorder, & scientists are working to find a solution to the declining bee population. Lets hope we never need these robots to do the job of their real-life counterparts.
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