Natural Awakenings M/O

Jul 31, 20171 min

Buzzing RoboBees: Tiny Robots Seen as Tech Fix for Reduced Bee Population

Harvard University researchers led by engineering professor Robert Wood have introduced the first RoboBees—bee-sized robots that can ascend and hover in midair while tethered to a power supply.

The project is a breakthrough in the field of micro-aerial vehicles. It has previously been impossible to pack all the components onto such a tiny workable robot framework and keep it lightweight enough to fly. The researchers believe that within 10 years, RoboBees could artificially pollinate a field of crops, a critical development if the commercial pollination industry cannot recover from the severe bee losses of the past decade.


 

 
Source: Science


 

 
This article appears in the August 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings - available tomorrow Aug 1st.

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#roboBees #reducedbeepopulation #tinybeerobots #techfixforpolination

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