West Virginia University Researchers Develop Stickbug Pollinator Robot
A research team from West Virginia University has developed a pollinator robot named Stickbug to address the decline in pollinators, such as bees, moths, butterflies, and flies, according to an article published on May 1st in Interesting Engineering. The new study is available on the arXiv preprint server.
Design and Features of Stickbug
Stickbug is specifically designed for greenhouse environments. It features a Kiwi drive system for easy maneuvering in narrow aisles. It also incorporates a perception and classification system to identify target flowers and perform touch pollination using a soft-tipped end effector (the part at the end of a robotic arm).
Multi-Armed Capability
With six arms and six actuators, Stickbug can pollinate multiple flowers simultaneously and perform different tasks independently. The robot prioritizes accuracy, flexibility, and accessibility to resources, such as publicly available flower datasets like the Black Raspberry Database.
Testing and Results
In a real-world test, a Stickbug prototype was placed in front of an artificial black raspberry plant, as it was not the natural flowering season. The robot was tasked with pollinating as many flowers as possible within a five-minute period. Preliminary testing showed that Stickbug achieved a pollination rate of approximately 1.5 pollinations per minute, with a success rate of about 50%.
Future Prospects
The research team plans to conduct further studies, including testing on live plants during the flowering season. If successful through all stages of testing, Stickbug could offer a promising solution to help compensate for declining natural pollinators and contribute to global food security.
Summary
Stickbug, a six-armed pollinator robot developed by researchers at West Virginia University, is designed to address the decline in natural pollinators. The robot is capable of pollinating multiple flowers simultaneously and prioritizes accuracy, flexibility, and resource accessibility. Preliminary testing showed promising results, and further studies are planned to evaluate its effectiveness in real-world conditions. If successful, Stickbug could help ensure global food security by supplementing the decreasing population of natural pollinators.