[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10221\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ERobotic bees and roots offer hope of healthier environment and sufficient food \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robotic bee replicants home in on the unsuspecting queen of a hive. But unlike the rebellious replicants in the 1982 sci-fi thriller \u003Cem\u003EBlade Runner\u003C\/em\u003E, these ones are here to work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECombining miniature robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the plan is for the robotic bees to stimulate egg laying in the queen by, for example, feeding her the right foods at the right time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESurvive and thrive\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We plan to affect a whole ecosystem by interacting with only one single animal, the queen,\u2019 said Dr Farshad Arvin, a roboticist and computer scientist at the University of Durham in the UK. \u2018If we can keep activities like egg laying happening at the right time, we are expecting to have healthier broods and more active and healthy colonies. This will then improve pollination.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile that goes on above the surface, shape-morphing robot roots that can adapt and interact with real plants and fungi are hard at work underground. There, plants and their fungal partners form vast networks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese robotic bees and roots are being developed by two EU-funded projects. Both initiatives are looking into how artificial versions of living things central to maintaining ecosystems can help real-life organisms and their environment survive and thrive \u2013 while ensuring food for people remains plentiful.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIf we can keep activities like egg laying happening at the right time, we are expecting to have healthier broods.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Farshad Arvin, RoboRoyale\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat could be crucial to the planet\u2019s long-term future, particularly with many species currently facing steep population declines as a result of threats that include habitat loss, pollution and climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of those at risk is the honeybee, a keystone species in the insect pollination \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/frobt.2022.791921\/full\u0022\u003Erequired for 75% of crops\u003C\/a\u003E grown for human food globally.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFit for a queen\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/964492\u0022\u003ERoboRoyale\u003C\/a\u003E project that Arvin leads combines microrobotic, biological and machine-learning technologies to nurture the queen honeybee\u2019s well-being. The project is funded by the European Innovation Council\u0027s Pathfinder programme.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA unique aspect of RoboRoyale is its sole focus on the queen rather than the entire colony, according to Arvin. He said the idea is to demonstrate how supporting a single key organism can stimulate production in the whole environment, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of organisms.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe multi-robot system, which the team hopes to start testing in the coming months, will learn over time how to groom the queen to optimise her egg laying and production of pheromones \u2013 chemical scents that influence the behaviour of the hive.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe system is being deployed in artificial glass observation hives in Austria and Turkey, with the bee replicants designed to replace the so-called court bees that normally interact with the queen.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFoods for broods\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne aim is that the robot bees can potentially stimulate egg laying by providing the queen with specific protein-rich foods at just the right time to boost this activity. In turn, an expected benefit is that a resulting increase in bees and foraging flights would mean stronger pollination of the surrounding ecosystem to support plant growth and animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe system enables six to eight robotic court bees, some equipped with microcameras, to be steered inside an observation hive by a controller attached to them from outside. The end goal is to make the robot bees fully autonomous.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The concept design of RoboRoyale robotic controller. \u00a9 Farshad Arvin, 2023\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022c74d25c4-fe9c-4367-aab4-441167537614\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/BODY%20robot_model.jpg\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe concept design of RoboRoyale robotic controller. \u00a9 Farshad Arvin, 2023\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrior to this, the RoboRoyale team observed queen bees in several hives using high-resolution cameras and image-analysis software to get more insight into their behaviour.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe team captured more than 150 million samples of the queens\u2019 trajectories inside the hive and detailed footage of their social interactions with other bees. It is now analysing the data.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce the full robotic system is sufficiently tested, the RoboRoyale researchers hope it will foster understanding of the potential for bio-hybrid technology not only in bees but also in other organisms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It might lead to a novel type of sustainable technology that positively impacts surrounding ecosystems,\u2019 said Arvin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWood Wide Web\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other project, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101003304\u0022\u003EI-Wood\u003C\/a\u003E, is exploring a\u0026nbsp;very different type of social network \u2013 one that\u2019s underground.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa are studying what they call the Wood Wide Web. It consists of plant roots connected to each other through a symbiotic network of fungi that provide them with nutrients and help them to share resources and communicate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EBiomimicry in robotics and technology will have a fundamental role in saving our planet.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Barbara Mazzolai, I-Wood\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo understand these networks better and find ways to stimulate their growth, I-Wood is developing soft, shape-changing robotic roots that can adapt and interact with real plants and fungi. The idea is for a robotic plant root to use a miniaturised 3D printer in its tip to enable it to grow and branch out, layer by layer, in response to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and available nutrients.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018These technologies will help to increase knowledge about the relationship between symbionts and hosts,\u2019 said Dr Barbara Mazzolai, an IIT roboticist who leads the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazzolai\u2019s team has a greenhouse where it grows rice plants inoculated with fungi. So far, the researchers have separately examined the growth of roots and fungi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESoon, they plan to merge their findings to see how, when and where the interaction between the two occurs and what molecules it involves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings can later be used by I-Wood\u2019s robots to help the natural symbiosis between fungi and roots work as effectively as possible. The team hopes to start experimenting with robots in the greenhouse by the end of this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robotic roots can be programmed to move autonomously, helped by sensors in their tips, according to Mazzolai. Like the way real roots or earthworms move underground, they will also seek passages that are easier to move through due to softer or less compact soil.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETweaks of the trade\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut there are challenges in combining robotics with nature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, bees are sensitive to alien objects in their hive and may remove them or coat them in wax. This makes it tricky to use items like tracking tags.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe bees have, however, become more accepting after the team tweaked elements of the tags such as their coating, materials and smell, according to Arvin of RoboRoyale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite these challenges, Arvin and Mazzolai believe robotics and artificial intelligence could play a key part in sustaining ecosystems and the environment in the long term. For Mazzolai, the appeal lies in the technologies\u2019 potential to offer deeper analysis of little-understood interactions among plants, animals and the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, with the underground web of plant roots and fungi believed to be crucial to maintaining healthy ecosystems and limiting global warming by locking up carbon, the project\u2019s robotic roots can help shed light on how we can protect and support these natural processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Biomimicry in robotics and technology will have a fundamental role in saving our planet,\u2019 Mazzolai said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-iryn0oozrzonxzljihf274ec8bpthkjdswncqm-k2rm\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-IRYn0oozRzOnxZlJihf274Ec8bPtHKJdswnCqm_k2rM\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]