Source: [url]http://inhabitat.com/scientists-develop-flying-robobees-to-pollinate-flowers-as-bee-populations-decline/[/url]
[IMG]http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/Robobee-schematic-e1363026488425.jpg[/IMG]
[Quote]Honey bee populations around the world are in decline due to causes ranging from “super mites” to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and even cell phones—and if these insects disappear completely, the entire planet’s ecosystems would be in peril. The issue has become so dire that now a team of Harvard and Northeastern University scientists are working on a swarm of miniature Robobee robots that could pollinate flowers and do the job of real bees, if required.
[/Quote]
[QUOTE=ScottyWired;48273949]
Being an IT student who is always witnessing computers as a viable solution, I'm still down for the idea of mass-producing microdrones that pollinate plants in place of bees.[/QUOTE]
I made this post last month not knowing that these were actually in development. This is hella cool tech.
When can we weaponize it and use it against wasps and mosquitos?
Can it fight off wasps and other creatures?
This is pretty fucking amazing. I wonder how much pollinating just one of these could do? Now all we need to do is eradicate mosquito's. From the article looks like it'll have a bunch of practical uses along with being a possible replacement for bee's
[editline]27th August 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=kweh;48552596]When can we weaponize it and use it against wasps and mosquitos?[/QUOTE]
agreed
i would rather pour effort in to making actual bees less of a rarity
[QUOTE=.Lain;48552607]i would rather pour effort in to making actual bees less of a rarity[/QUOTE]
the team who developed this likely has no way of helping with that, so it's not really a case of channelling a limited amount of effort in to one thing or the other, I.E. the world will collectively end up doing both, probably
This is really interesting research, this has implications of helping save endangered species of plants whose pollinators are dieing out.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;48552597]Can it fight off wasps and other creatures?[/QUOTE]
other creatures, humans
If it comes to robot bees then we know we really fucked up. Still nice to know that there could be a failsafe though.
I thought that the optimal pathfinding methods which bee's use are ridiculously hard for AI to recreate at the moment though.
D'you think it'd be possible for these things to extract energy from nectar?
[QUOTE=.Lain;48552607]i would rather pour effort in to making actual bees less of a rarity[/QUOTE]
What do you mean? There are more than 7 billion people on the planet. I think we can work on two solutions at once.
[QUOTE=Snickerdoodle;48552870]What do you mean? There are more than 7 billion people on the planet. I think we can work on two solutions at once.[/QUOTE]
"~14 million people in the scientific sector" I think you meant.
[QUOTE=.Lain;48552607]i would rather pour effort in to making actual bees less of a rarity[/QUOTE]
theres a good chance these guys are more of robotics people (EE/CS/CMPE/SWE) considering they made a robot
in general, robotics people aren't strict biologists and whatnot
so your post doesn't make any sense at all unless you're suggesting everybody to drop what they're doing and become biologists, which is kinda dumb
[editline]27th August 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=WarriorWounds;48552903]"~14 million people in the scientific sector" I think you meant.[/QUOTE]
I would say this robotic bee is more of an engineering endeavor than a scientific one, so engineers should probably be included too.
Why does it have to my fuzzy cute bees
Why can't it be those waspy bastards
[QUOTE=awcmon;48553160]theres a good chance these guys are more of robotics people (EE/CS/CMPE/SWE) considering they made a robot
in general, robotics people aren't strict biologists and whatnot
so your post doesn't make any sense at all unless you're suggesting everybody to drop what they're doing and become biologists, which is kinda dumb
[editline]27th August 2015[/editline]
I would say this robotic bee is more of an engineering endeavor than a scientific one, so engineers should probably be included too.[/QUOTE]
The article was talking about Harvard and Northeastern scientists, you'd be surprised how much engineering scientists can do on their own.
[QUOTE=WarriorWounds;48553242]The article was talking about Harvard and Northeastern scientists, you'd be surprised how much engineering scientists can do on their own.[/QUOTE]
i expect news articles to always get details wrong
like any time there's a shooting, somebody yells out "AK-47!" even when it was just a bb gun pistol
and I don't think it matters too much that it was scientists who built it-- the designing and building of the robot was engineering on its own and there's no reason engineers couldn't have done the same, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to include them
Oh my god I can't believe this! It has been PROVEN that pesticides are behind the declining bee populations which cause whole ecosystems to be disturbed since bees are needed to pollinate a multitude of flowering plants not only crops, but what do they do instead of decreasing the amount of pesticides they use? They fucking want to use robot bees because that way they can keep pumping tons of pesticide on the plants to not get smaller yields and make more money! It's been fucking proven over and over again that it's the pesticides, but they cover shit up with the "it's mites, not the pesticides designed to kill or damage insects that the bees get in contact with when pollinating", that way the pesticide businesses wont loose face or money or cut-back on shit. Fuck the ecosystem, we just want more money!
I am a pissed off entomologist...
... Could a hacker gain control of these?
[QUOTE=ironman17;48552756]D'you think it'd be possible for these things to extract energy from nectar?[/QUOTE]
Very unlikely; I don't think any solution exists yet that can cost-effectively extract chemical energy stored in food stuff.
Except our own bodies, of course.
[QUOTE=lekkimsm;48553756]... Could a hacker gain control of these?[/QUOTE]
depends if there's anything that electronically connects it to the outside world, like the internet or through radiowaves or something
i don't think it would be impossible to have these robots be entirely self-contained, in fact, it might be easier and more cost-effective if they were self-contained
[QUOTE=kweh;48552596]When can we weaponize it and use it against wasps and mosquitos?[/QUOTE]
What if someone weaponizes it and MAKES wasps and mosquitos. :|
[QUOTE=kweh;48552596]When can we weaponize it and use it against wasps and mosquitos?[/QUOTE]
This is stupid we'd be kneedeep in all kinds of dangerous pests if we killed wasps.
[QUOTE=Killuah;48554505]This is stupid we'd be kneedeep in all kinds of dangerous pests if we killed wasps.[/QUOTE]
You mean..... beedeep!:badzing:
That was funny right?
Fuck you God we have machines now.
We don't need you anymore.
Reminds me of those robotic locusts from The Day The Earth Stood Still w/ Keanu Reeves.
Of course instead of finding a way to help bees we just replace them with machines.
But can they make honey :v:
[editline]27th August 2015[/editline]
"ROBOHONEY! Now with 50% more 5w10 motor oil!"
And they'll be used under the guise of 'efficiency'.
right i'm sure we can just build 500,000,000,000 of these problem solved
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