The robot-flower attracts bees to pollinate the real flowers
The robot-flower was inspired by nature's biotic pollination systems. It is designed to attract bees to pollinate the real flowers, integrating into the reproductive cycle of the natural flora. This small robot is activated using a set of servomotors and actuators. They distribute the pollen and synthetic nectar, which is then extruded to a tank in the centre of each flower, then the articulated mechanical stamens retract to retain the pollen, before returning to their original position.
Sugar water is also used as a substitute for nectar to encourage bees to visit the flowers. The whole thing is filmed with a webcam, so that the farmer can see if everything is working perfectly. Here is a picture of a robot-flower.
"Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem," said Michael Candy, the project's creator. "I think everyone needs to take the time to get to know the workers who keep our plants and crops pollinated. The synthetic pollinator is a work of art that offers a future where technology and nature can flourish together. "
The problem was not without its challenges, however, "It took a long time to successfully soften the bees when they landed on the pollinator. "Many additions have been "prototyped" and failed before they succeeded in creating the one that works. There are millions of flowers to choose from, so bees must choose which ones to visit in order for our concept to work. "
Ultimately, it is more of a conceptual robotics project than a real solution to the problems. But that doesn't mean that it couldn't have applications in the real world.
"In my collaboration with the Wageningen University Resource Ecologists Group, this project was looking for ways to enable scientists to use it in the field," said Candy, "The initial concept was to create a tool to track bees through a network of flowers. With this idea, we hoped to build a synthetic flower that could fix the pollen on the bees' backs and photograph them. In this way, we would know which bees would have visited which areas and when this happened. It is ultimately a useful and non-invasive technique for collecting quantitative data. "
With the decline in bee populations caused by pesticides, and their impact on the ecosystem, this project could not have come at a better time. "Like a work of art, it allows us to ask questions and get answers," said Candy, "In this context, it proves that technology and nature can live in harmony. "
