Micro Drone Pollinators — Bring on the RoboBees
Micro drones are just what the name implies — ultra-tiny unmanned aircraft that do a variety of jobs . A major focus of the RoboBee project , a collaboration between researchers at Harvard and Northeastern University , is to develop tiny drone “ swarms ” capable of artificial pollination , among other things . It ’ s taken the research team about 12 years to design these little machines , which are capable of tethered flight thanks to tiny artificial “ muscles ” that allow each drone ’ s wings to beat 120 times per second . And when I say tiny , I mean really tiny — the drone ’ s wingspan measures only 1.2 inches . But don ’ t be fooled by its size . The RoboBee , weighing in at less than a real bee , is the culmination of some seriously heavy scientific collaboration between neurobiologists , electrical and mechanical engineers , computer scientists , and more . The latest collaborative advancement of this super team could be the thing that brings these machines to the mainstream in the coming years .
Perching & Takeoff — Sort of a Big Deal
In a recent article in the journal Science titled “ Perching and Takeoff of a Robotic Insect on Overhangs Using Switchable Electrostatic Adhesion ,” a Harvard research team reported that they ’ ve made real progress overcoming one of the greatest challenges in RoboBee advancement : making them stick to stuff . This ‘ stick-ability ’ is important because without it , RoboBees are forced to stay aloft at all times . Constant flight creates mechanical fatigue and quickly drains available on-board power — a particularly critical factor in the operation of such small , battery-powered machines . However , the researchers have figured out that electrostatic forces can keep the mechanical insects stuck to various surfaces , including the undersides of leaves . They also reported that generating this electrostatic force required less power than that needed to stay in flight .
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THE MULTI-DRONE SYSTEM also includes sensors that allow the drones to measure the temperature , humidity , luminosity , and carbon dioxide concentrations in soil and at various heights in the greenhouse environment .”
Mapping the Indoor Environment
For a super-tiny machine , pollination is one thing , but monitoring indoor variables is another . At this point , that type of data collection requires a larger drone . While the operation of larger drones doesn ’ t pose much of issue in wide-open , outdoor contexts , the inside of a greenhouse is a limited space that presents significantly greater challenges . A team of researchers at the Centre for Automation and Robotics in Spain are working hard and making some serious progress in overcoming those challenges . Just this year , the team published the paper “ Heterogeneous Multi-Robot System for Mapping Environmental Variables of Greenhouses ” in the journal Sensors . In the paper , the scientists describe a heterogeneous robot team they ’ ve developed to monitor environmental variables of greenhouses . The system includes both aerial and ground drones . Using an advanced multi-sensor application , the researchers have figured out how to enable these drones to communicate with one another and to
“ understand ” their surroundings . And by understand their surroundings , I mean they can avoid smashing into one another , the greenhouse walls , and the plants therein . The multi-drone system also includes sensors that allow the drones to measure the temperature , humidity , luminosity , and carbon dioxide concentrations in soil and at various heights in the greenhouse environment . Plus , as with most horticultural drones out there , some are fitted with cameras that allow for easy visual monitoring .
Drone-powered greenhouse automation probably won ’ t be taking flight this year or next , but we can rest assured that , considering the sort of advancements we ’ ve seen just this year , this technology is definitely headed our way soon . Happy gardening ! M
Entrepreneur and drone enthusiast Tim Jennings has been in the manufacturing business in San Dimas , California . He ’ s president of Custom Case Group — creator of DroneHangar cases — and manufacturer of custom shipping cases for industries ranging from bio-tech to the US military .
What are your thoughts on drones in agriculture ? Are you eager to get your greenhouse robot-ready , or would you prefer to keep things more hands on ? Send your thoughts to us at editor @ maximumyield . com .
Maximum Yield USA | January 2017 77