Small drones coated with horsehair and a sticky gel could one day help pollinate crops and help offset the costly loss of bee populations worldwide, researchers in Japan said Thursday. "The findings, which will have applications for agriculture and robotics, among others, could lead to the development of artificial pollinators and help counter the problems caused by declining honeybee populations," said lead author Eijiro Miyako, a chemist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Nanomaterials Research Institute. One failed attempt produced a sticky gel, like hair wax, which he relegated to a storage cabinet for almost a decade.
Black Mirror coming true? Tiny drones to replace bees as pollinators in Japan
International Business Times
Robot bees could pollinate crops in the event of insect extinction
