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Researchers made cute sensor-filled backpacks for bees that are supposed to help with growing crops

bee sensors
bee sensors

Mark Stone/University of Washington

  • Researchers at the University of Washington developed tiny sensor "backpacks" to attach to bees.

  • The micro-sensors gather data on specific crops' temperature and pollination.

  • Farmers typically can't get very accurate data on their crops with larger agricultural drones.

  • After the bees collect the data, they fly back to their "base station" hive, where all the information will download into a database.

  • These devices could help create more accurate and efficient agricultural practices for farmers.

  • Vikram Iyer, the project's lead author, hopes the team can commercialize this technology in the future.

In the latest example of Black Mirror episodes come to life, a group of researchers at the University of Washington are equipping bees with a tiny backpack full of sensors to help farmers grow their crops. In yet another example of roboticists looking to the efficiency of nature for solutions to man-made problems, these cyborg bees could hold the key to improving crop yields to feed a ballooning global population.

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of WashingtonLead author Vikram Iyer and his colleagues glued a 102 milligram chipboard to the back live bees. The tiny component is made up of a battery, antenna, a tiny processor, temperature and humidity sensors, and components to receive and send radio signals. Iyer tells Inverse that the device would only cost a couple of dollars to make at a large scale and it could give farmers access to the kind of nuanced data current agricultural tech can’t provide.

Read more: A 'bee highway' is being created in Detroit, and it could help offset the dangerous decline of honeybees

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of Washington

“I think this technology is a great way to complement what drones can do for agriculture,” he explained. “Drones are good for flying at high altitudes or even doing things like spraying crops. Bees, on the other hand, can go up to individual plants, and also give us insights into things like pollination.”

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of WashingtonThink of this like macro vs micro level smart farming. Drones let farmers manage large swaths of land and and identify overarching trends. But when it comes to zooming in to study the health of specific crops, drones are far too cumbersome to pilot and can’t pick up on the subtler things.

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of WashingtonThis system would track the cyborg bees using a radio signal broadcast that functions similarly to a low-power GPS. As they buzz around farmland every day, their tiny backpack will gather and store crop data. Farmers might even be able to glean useful information from areas that the bees don’t fly over.

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of Washington“This works for many bees simultaneously to achieve good coverage,” said Iyer. “Even areas bees don’t visit may give important information about the health of those plants or lack of pollination.”

Once they’re done making the rounds, the bees will naturally return to their hive where a base station will be waiting. This will act like a wifi-router, once the bees are in range the data gathered by the backpack is uploaded and stored for farmers to study.

bee sensor
bee sensor

Mark Stone/University of Washington

Iyer and his team have only proved that this concept could work, now they’re exploring ways they could commercialize their idea.

In a few years, big farms could have their own swarm of cyborg bees to supplement the fleet of drones they’re already using to water and fertilize their crop.

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