All over the world, honeybee populations are in decline, prompting concerns from farmers - if bees don't pollinate plants, how will they bear fruit?
The Micro Air Vehicles Project is attempting to “push advances in miniature robotics and the design of compact high-energy power sources; spur innovations in ultra-low-power computing and electronic “smart” sensors; and refine coordination algorithms to manage multiple, independent machines”.
We wondered if mechanical bees could replicate not just an individual’s behavior but the unique behavior that emerges out of interactions among thousands of bees. We have now created the first RoboBees—flying bee-size robots—and are working on methods to make thousands of them cooperate like a real hive.”
(Creation of RoboBees)
Besides pollination, this Harvard-backed project has other goals:
search and rescue (e.g., in the aftermath of a natural disaster);
hazardous environment exploration;
military surveillance;
high resolution weather and climate mapping; and
traffic monitoring.
One of the earliest descriptions of the tiny swarming robot idea is found in the 1941 short story The Mechanical Mice by Maurice Hugi (a pseudonym of Eric Frank Russell's).
This idea was developed later by writers like Ray Bradbury and Greg Bear, who created robot mice and forensic dustmice, respectively.
I should also mention the scarab robot flying insect as perhaps the earliest mention of the idea of a robotic insect.
Update 12-Nov-2017: I should point out this terrific episode of the series Black Mirror - Hated in the Nation:
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'