Ambition

Scientists are strange creatures. Able to look at things in ways that ordinary mortals do not. In some cases it can lead to great advancement and we have nuclear power and in others it leads to some sort of insanity and we have the climate change concensus.

In this case we have scientists who have developed an eye that can be used on UAVs which will enable them to ‘see’. Based on this scientists think they can unlock the secrets of the insects’ sensing, processing and navigational skills.

Now making a camera that can see what a bee sees and linking it to a computer programmed to visualise the input, analyse and then act I can understand. It will be a massive step forward in our quest for intelligent robotic devices. Using the input to replicate the navigation skills of a bee sound like something that sounds so unrealistic that I can actually see it working. After all if the bees eye is used for navigation, and all books seems to support navigation by the sun with the bee adjusting for time changes, and a bees brain is so simple that we could replicate it with simple visual inputs then it could actually be replicated by simply programmed responces to visual cues. It will either be a breakthrough or a drone just changing course erratically. It’ll be worth watching although I wouldn’t imagine the Air Force looking at replacing all their GPS systems with one of these and having it recognise one path in and out and during daylight hours as well.

Even if it works I wonder what the uses of this system will be.