The global trend of pollinator decline can most readily be seen in bee populations. The U.S. is adding more bees to the endangered species list every year. At Blackburn College, many are trying to combat this issue. Biology professor Dr. Jonathan Micancin, for example, is working on developing a native garden that will hopefully attract local pollinators, like bees.
Recently, a Japanese company, Nanomaterials Research Institute, published a paper on the application of robotic drone bees. It suggested these robots could aid in pollination and help the world bee crisis. It did this quite accidentally when it made an interesting glue during a different research project. The company took this glue and applied it to horse hairs that were attached to small drones. It was able to fly the drones from one flower to another, collecting and depositing pollen. The researchers discussed the possibility of using artificial intelligence to enhance the drone’s abilities in the future. You can view their article on sciencedirect.com.
Computer science professor Dr. Joshua Gross discussed the concepts behind artificial intelligence, drones and cyber security. A drone is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is remotely controlled by a person. To successfully place these robotic drone bees in the environment, they would need to be able to fly around and maneuver on their own. This is where artificial intelligence becomes involved. The bees would need an external computer to guide them, a technique called swarm intelligence. This would allow them to locate flowers and a recharge place.
When asked about security, Gross said, “You could create incredibly challenging problems that could be a threat to human life.” He stressed the need for security to prevent these problems. “The idea that we can solve every problem with technology… it’s not that simple.” Gross expressed concern for the plight of the bees and the possible unintended consequences of embracing this “solution.”
Micancin is also against this technology. He said, “We already have ‘drone’ honeybees, they’re the males . . . Fixing the causes of declining domesticated and wild bee populations . . is critical for maintaining already-degraded ecosystems and biodiversity.” Students too expressed their dislike of the idea. Senior environmental biology major Benjamin Nichols wants to study pollination ecology in graduate school. Nichols said of the robotic drone bees, “If we replace bees with something manmade, we lose the urgency of saving them.”
Blackburn’s own well-known beehive was relocated over the summer of 2016 due to insurance concerns. Nichols said that there are plans to increase the number of hives on campus, but he could not say where they would be. He explained that there are hopes to do projects with the bees because Carlinville is actually well known for their pollinators.