Dutch
scientists say they can create swarms of bee-like drones to take over if the
insects die out
Daniel
Boffey in Delft
Tue 9 Oct
2018 13.15 BSTLast modified on Tue 9 Oct 2018 17.22 BST
Intensive
modern farming methods and the unravelling consequences of global climate
change are said to have put the future of the common bee under threat like
never before.
But in
Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands a group of scientists working
on long-term solutions to some of the world’s thorniest problems have developed
a solution that could have come straight from a sci-fi novel: robotic bees.
By
reproducing some of the complex wing motion patterns and aerodynamics of fruit
flies, in particular, researchers in the university’s newly opened Robohouse, a hub for Dutch
expertise, believe they will be able to create swarms of bee-like drones to
pollinate plants when the real-life
insects have died away.
The wings
of the robotic DelFly beat 17 times per second, to generate the lift needed to
stay airborne and control its flight through small adjustments in their wing
motion.
The
researchers asked why a fly was so difficult to swat and looked to reproduce
the insect’s evasive technique. The robo-bees can hover on the spot, fly in any
direction, and even flip 360 degrees around pitch or roll axes. Because the
robots’ wings are made of a lightweight film made of mylar, the material used
in space blankets, it is safe for people to work around them.
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