Bee-like drone can assist growth of plants by cross-pollination

Drones can do everything from surveillance to firefighting. Now, an industrial designer, Anna Haldewag has created drones to work likes bees for continuous growth of plants by cross-pollination.

Haldewag has developed bee-like drone called ‘plan bee’ that can assist real bees in pollinating flowers and crops.

Designed in shape of a flower, the self-sustainable prototype drone features camera which helps it identify flowers using ultra-violet light, just like the real bees.

The black and yellow striped plan bee identifies a flower and sucks up its pollen through holes on the underside – just like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust. The drone then moves to a nearby flower.

The drone’s propellers are designed in a manner to help vents on the top of the drone to push air. When the plan bee moves to the next plant, its top vents open to push air causing the collected pollen to fall out, in the process mimicking the natural pollination process of the bees.

Plan bee is a serious invention considering the drastic decline in population of bees are other pollinating insects in the ecosystem.

Bees along with other insects are responsible for a third of all the food we consume. In such a condition, the ever-decreasing population of bees is a grave situation.

Use of pesticides and chemicals in crops and climate change are two primary reason for the dying bee population.

Plan bee thus, is designed solely with the intention to raise awareness about declining population of bees.