In the future, millions of artificial dandelion seeds containing pollen will be able to disperse freely by natural winds and then rush light to certain areas with trees waiting to be pollinated. Scientists from Tampere University have developed a robot called Fairy to do this.
The loss of pollinators such as bees is a huge problem for global biodiversity and affects humanity, causing problems in food production. At the University of Tampere, researchers developed the first passively flying robot equipped with artificial muscles. Can this artificial fairy be used for pollination?
The development of stimuli-responsive polymers has opened up many material-related possibilities for small, next-generation soft-body robots with wireless control. For some time now, engineers have been knowing how to use these materials to make small robots that can walk, swim and jump. So far, no one has managed to get them to fly, according to www.tuni.fi
Flies with wind and is controlled by light
Researchers at the Light Robots group from the University of Tampere are now exploring how to make smart material fly. Hao Zeng, a research fellow at the Academy and team leader, and Jianfeng Yang, a doctoral student, developed a new design for their project called FAIRY – Flying Aero-robots, based on the assembly of lightweight materials. They developed a robot collection of polymers that flies with wind and is controlled by light.
The device is so light that the wind can carry it from flower to flower. All processes will continue under the supervision of specialists. They will induce an artificial pollinator to work and direct visible light.
In dark and windless weather, the “fairy” stands still. When there is enough light, the structure automatically opens and flies in the wind flow. The new device is powered by a light source, such as an LED.
In the future, millions of artificial dandelion seeds containing pollen will be able to disperse freely by natural winds and then rush light to certain areas with trees waiting to be pollinated.
The fairy will help solve the problem of insufficient pollination of plants and trees on which food security and biodiversity depend. Scientists are faced with the task of increasing the sensitivity of the robot’s material so that it can work under any lighting and transfer biochemical compounds.
However, many problems need to be solved first. For example, how to accurately control the landing site? How do I reuse devices and make them biodegradable? These problems require close collaboration with materials scientists and people working on microrobotics.
The FAIRY project started in September 2021 and will last until August 2026.