As Bees Decline in Number, Robobees Could Pollinate Flowers

As bees decline in number, robobees could pollinate flowers.

A team of scientists from Harvard University and Northeastern University has designed robotic bees, called RoboBees.

Honeybee populations have taken a dive due to environmental factors like mites, and Colony Collapse Disorder, so the RoboBees were designed to substitute for the real thing.

The scientists as quoted in Scientific American had “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.”

They are trying to create a swarm of RoboBees that will be able to work together.

The RoboBees will be able to pollinate flowers and also might be used for security or surveillance.

The team behind the RoboBees aims to use advanced miniature robotics, compact high-energy power sources and refined algorithms to create their robotic bees.

Another group of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a robotic cheetah.

Their design model uses many innovative and efficient robot motion technologies.

It can run at a steady 5 miles per hour for up to an hour and a half.

The robotic cheetah wastes very little energy compared to electrical or gasoline powered engines in other robots like Honda’s two legged ASIMO robot and the Big Dog robot designed by Boston Dynamics.