Rob Wood is Generating Some Meaningful Buzz

Have you ever found yourself idly following the path that a bee takes crossing your neighbors yards? How about fervently watching it carry pollen from flower to flower, taking note of every gesture within its meticulous mannerisms? We thought not. However, one person has taken his fascination with these honey-makers and turned it into his very own money-maker!

Rob Wood, an associate professor of electrical engineering at Harvard University, has been studying the efficient mannerisms in insects as a whole for years. He is figuring out methods to replicate the biological advantages in which insects have, and attempting to translate them into tiny insect robots.

Wood, along with eight of graduate students, are working to create a menagerie of mechanical insects, from bees to termites. What’s more is that they’re building these insect robots in order to help create a better efficiency within the world. For instance, Wood and his team are using the locomotion of cockroaches and centipedes as models for gizmos that can navigate across any terrain, which could potentially be utilized to seek out victims in earthquake rubble. They’re also studying the “flap-and-glide” of butterfly wings in addition to the hovering of dragonflies to aid in creating tiny robots that have the capacity to fly for miles on end. Conceivably, if they had cameras or sensors attached to them, these flying robots could be used for spying.

In his latest most ambitious project, Wood is focused on creating bionic bees. These robo-bees are a hopeful answer to the Colony Collapse Disorder, an ailment that has eradicated billions of honeybees in the country therefore threatening the almond, blueberry, and other pollinating plants’ industries (a net worth of about $15 billion).

For now, Wood plans on sitting around just staring at flies. As pointless and silly as it may seem, Rob Wood is creating a buzz that could stick for years on end. Have YOU helped save the world today?

For more information, visit: businessweek.com

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