Scientists at the Universities of
Sheffield and Sussex are embarking on an ambitious project to produce the first
accurate computer models of a honey bee brain in a bid to advance our
understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and how animals think. The team
will build models of the systems in the brain that govern a honey bee's vision
and sense of smell. Using this information, the researchers aim to create the
first flying robot able to sense and act as autonomously as a bee, rather than
just carry out a pre-programmed set of instructions.
If successful, this project will meet one of the major challenges of modern science: building a robot brain that can perform complex tasks as well as the brain of an animal. Tasks the robot will be expected to perform, for example, will include finding the source of particular odours or gases in the same way that a bee can identify particular flowers. It is anticipated that the artificial brain could eventually be used in applications such as search and rescue missions, or even mechanical pollination of crops.
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