Remote-controlled pollinators, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

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National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology on Wikipedia

Senior author - Eijiro Miyako

"Materially Engineered Artificial Pollinators"

by Svetlana A. Chechetka, Yue Yu, Masayoshi Tange, Eijiro Miyako
February 9, 2017

 

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Article "As bee populations dwindle, robot bees may pick up some of their pollination slack"

by Amina Khan
February 9, 2017

 

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Can these robots replace dying bee populations?

Published on Feb 21, 2017

As bee populations die off at an alarming rate, science tries to find a solution. One, is to use small drones to pollinate plants so agriculture doens't suffer. Can the robots coated in sticky gel and fuzz do the job? Kim Horcher and Ray Carsillo (Host, EGM Reviews Editor) break it down.

"One day, gardeners might not just hear the buzz of bees among their flowers, but the whirr of robots, too. Scientists in Japan say they’ve managed to turn an unassuming drone into a remote-controlled pollinator by attaching horsehairs coated with a special, sticky gel to its underbelly."