The researchers from the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said that one random discovery will help them to create artificial bees, which, if not replace, workaholic insects, they can provide substantial assistance in the cultivation of agricultural products. Moreover, artificial pollinators could be used where insects for some reason does not exist.
It all started in 2007 when a chemist Eyzhiro Miyako researched ionic liquids (salt in a liquid state) in search of a solvent that would be great elektricheskvo spent. After a failed experiment, the bottle with the scientist received a sticky gel removed in the closet, and found that in our days. It turned out that for all the past years, the liquid does not lose its properties, not evaporate or dry, but it became very well collect dust. This property Miyako and prompted the creation of artificial pollination of plants.
For starters, scientists decided to test the ability of the gel to collect dust in the laboratory, which on the backs of ants left a few drops and put them in a box with tulips. As a result, the gel insects collected more pollen than the control group subjects. The researchers then glued to a miniature drone small strip of fur, treated gel, thus obtaining a kind of robo-bee. UAV proved effective artificial pollinator experiment with flowers lilies, while the drone without strips with a viscous liquid was useless and did not cope with the task.
Of course, as long as drone very short flight time, which effectively nullifies their effectiveness. In addition, they have to be controlled manually, but the researchers are confident that in the future, automatic control of a swarm of drones with the help of artificial intelligence will become real, which will replace the need for bees, which, according to melittologov, are threatened with extinction.
