Adhesive Gel Collects Pollen Grains, Deposits Them On Other Plants

A senior researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology as created a way that could allow tiny drones to pollinate plants.

The researcher is Eijiro Miyako, and he has invented gel that can be used to collect pollen from plants and deposit it on other plants using a micro-drone, according to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek.

The goal of the project is not to replace bees, which have been declining for several years, but to give farmers an alternative way to complement natural pollination. The gel is applied to a patch of horsehair on a butterfly-sized commercial drone, and then Miyako pilots the tiny aircraft from one plant to another, rubbing the horsehair against the pistils and stamens of the plants. The gel is sticky, but not tacky, so it releases pollen grains on contact.

Miyako says the gel is harmless, and can be made biodegradable. He is now seeking a $1 million grant to continue his research, according to the report.

(Image provided by the National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science And Technology)

FMI: http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html