Harvard's Robotic Bees Generate High-Tech Buzz

coondoggie writes "Harvard researchers recently got a $10 million grant to create a colony of flying robotic bees, or RoboBees, to (among other things) spur innovation in ultra-low-power computing and electronic 'smart' sensors; and refine coordination algorithms to manage multiple, independent machines. The 5-year, National Science Foundation-funded RoboBee project could lead to a better understanding of how to mimic artificially the unique collective behavior and intelligence of a bee colony; foster novel methods for designing and building an electronic surrogate nervous system able to sense and adapt to changing environments; and advance work on the construction of small-scale flying mechanical devices, according to the Harvard RoboBee Web site."

Comments

What's the difference between Harvard and MIT?

[QuantumG]

Everything you do at MIT is pointless.
You don't actually do anything at Harvard.

Re:What's the difference between Harvard and MIT?

[melikamp]

This is not altogether pointless. This new data could help to finally settle the question:

To bee or not to bee?

I Know What We Could Do ...

[HiggsBison]

Um... um... teach them to spell! Robotic Spelling Bees! Woohoo!

Re:BEEEEES!

[camperdave]

My firearm is a flamethrower.

Clever?

[swanzilla]

Harvard's Robotic Bees Generate High-tech Buzz

said robotic bees also generate horribly obvious story title pun on /.

Re:Clever?

[mathx314]

Yeah, insect puns really tick me off.

Re:Clever?

[Crash24]

Yeah, insect puns really tick me off.

That's like saying arachnid puns bug me.

Re:BEEEEES!

[sexconker]

So your firearm is a...fire...arm?

Re:the Wicker Man flashbacks

[atheistmonk]

Killing them won't bring back your goddamn honey!

Looking into the future...

[Bobfrankly1]

In the near future...
"5 Million dollars worth of robo-bees were destroyed when a robotic "Pooh Bear" attempted to retrieve honey from the hive. The Pooh Bear lodged itself into the only high opening, preventing the colony from being able to return to their re-charging stations. Their charge depleted, they fell to the ground and shattered. A "r.a.b.b.i.t." is reportedly en-route to retrieve the pooh bear."

Re:Looking into the future...

[Zordak]

Oh, crud. I'm a Winni-the-Pooh geek. Alright, it won't be pretty, but let's just get this over with. I'll do my best on the snarky, elitist fanboi tone, but I can't guarantee the results.

Sorry, n00b. Pooh Bear didn't get stuck in the hive when he was trying to get honey from the hive. First, the branch broke, then he used a balloon to disguise himself as a rain cloud. When none of that worked, and he concluded they were the wrong sorts of bees, went to Rabbit's house, invited himself to lunch, and gorged himself on honey. Then he got stuck in Rabbit's front entrance, and they had to wait for him to get thin again. When he finally budged, they all pulled on him until he popped out of the hole, launching him into the honey tree. That's when he plugged the bees' hole (and again gorged himself on their honey).

[HANGS HEAD IN SHAME].

Re:robotic honeybees

[Bobfrankly1]

Great...I can see it now. "Why does this tomato taste like....aluminum and carbon fiber?"

Re:Why Fight?

[ozmanjusri]

I, for one, welcome our new killer robotic bee overlords.

Hey, why not? We've had Microsoft's evangelism team infesting this place with the same goal for years.

A few more pointless drones generating high-tech buzzes won't make a lot of difference.

Re:Missing an important benefit

[ciaohound]

Then we'll all be installing RAV antivirus for BeOS.

Robotic Bees or Half Bees?

[Master Moose]

Half a bee, philosophically, Must, ipso facto, half not be. But half the bee has got to be Vis a vis, its entity. D'you see? But can a bee be said to be Or not to be an entire bee When half the bee is not a bee Due to some ancient injury?

Re:robotic honeybees

[thrillseeker]

Robotic bee spit ... now with flavor.