Drones as Pollinators

[Ben]

Do you guys remember when small drones were being talked up as the next big thing to aid farmers? They were supposed to replace bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. What ever came of that? It seemed silly to me, but maybe I'm just behind the times. Does anyone here use them for pollination?

 

[More Green]

Since the most recent articles I can find are about 2 years old, dig into the companies who would manufacture this as well as beekeepers if you want to find more information.

I believe they're being used, but the usage isn't going to make the news unless something horribly goes wrong.

 

[jack]

I remember reading about Japan developing insect-sized drones capable of pollination plants. According to the article, the robot pollinators would have animal hair on their backs then a special sticky gel would allow the picking up and releasing of pollen grains. Wouldn't this be costly for the end-user (the farmer),or who would foot the cost?