Researchers develop tiny robot weighing less than a paper clip, and it could change farming forever: 'The experiment was extremely nerve-racking'

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have released their designs for a robotic bee that could artificially pollinate plants and food, The Debrief reports.  

The robot bee weighs less than a paper clip and pollinates plants at an indoor farm, potentially transforming the future of agriculture. In 2013, Harvard researchers tested the first robotic insect, showing the capabilities of controlled flight for something so small. Now, MIT's new robot bee is a refined version that puts us closer to artificial pollination.

Using an external power source, the new robot bee can hover for 17 minutes, which is nearly 100 times better than previous versions. It is more durable and more agile than any previous robotic insect, too. 

The flight test proved an amazing landmark in operation. The robotics team guided the tiny bee to spell out "MIT" while performing flips. 

"When my student Nemo was performing that flight, he said it was the slowest 1,000 seconds he had spent in his entire life," explained Kevin Chen, an associate professor in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

"The experiment was extremely nerve-racking. At the end of the day, we've shown flight that is 100 times longer than anyone else in the field has been able to do, so this is an extremely exciting result."

"The amount of flight we demonstrated in this paper is probably longer than the entire amount of flight our field has been able to accumulate with these robotic insects," Chen said. "With the robot's improved lifespan and precision, we are getting closer to some fascinating applications, like assisted pollination."

The goal for MIT is to create an indoor farm for fruits and vegetables that these robot bees can be deployed to pollinate. 

Bees are incredibly important to our food supply. They pollinate plants, yielding crops like fruits and vegetables. According to Farmers.gov, more than 80% of flowers and crops need pollination. However, the bee population in the U.S. has dropped drastically, falling by more than 30% from 1989 to 2008, according to USA Facts.

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The drop in population of bees is due to pesticides, parasites, and habitat loss. A new study from Seoul National University found that particles in the atmosphere are making it harder for bees to navigate as well.

It's vital to preserve bee habitats and eliminate harmful pesticides to help save the bee population. Scientists are even researching vaccines for bees to fight pesticides. 

However, the success in flight testing from MIT's robot bees shows there is hope for our crops in the future.

According to The Debrief, the robots are far from matching the performance of real bees.

"A very sophisticated set of muscles finely controls the wings of bees," Chen said. "That level of fine-tuning is something that truly intrigues us, but we have not yet been able to replicate," Chen commented.

MIT's researchers will work to increase flight duration and equip the bees with batteries and sensors for real-world use. 

Researchers at other schools, including Harvard and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, are also working on robotic insects to help the future of agriculture.

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