Work in progress to replace drones with bees
Bees can fly around for much longer durations of time, and are able to look after their energy
(Web Desk) – Researchers at the University of Washington have designed wireless sensors for bees, in an effort to solve the issue of poor battery life on drones.
Unlike drones, bees can fly around for much longer durations of time, and are able to look after their energy levels themselves.
The research team found that a healthy worker bee can carry a load of 105 milligrams, so they designed a platform which can be glued to the bee’s back, weighing just 102 milligrams. Measuring in at 6.1 by 6.4 millimeters, the platform boasts a 70 milligram lithium ion battery. It’s then kitted out with an antenna, a microcontroller, and sensors which can analyse humidity, temperature and light.
Currently the research team wish to utilise the bees for their mobility and pollination patterns, gathering a plethora of data which can be utilised for smart farming. The information can be sent from the sensors on the bee’s back to multiple radio transmitters set up around the area of flight for the bee. So long as the bee is within 80 metres of the transmitters, the sensors can unload roughly 1,000 bits of data per second.
The bees will be able to inform scientists of optimal growing conditions for plants, tracking how often they visit to each different plant given the weather and environmental setting. The information gathered might also allow for the researchers to figure out what’s bringing about the rapid decline in the global bee population.
