Walmart has hinted that it may want to make crop-pollinating robot bees

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March 14, 2018 4:18 PM

Like an episode out of "Black Mirror," Walmart has filed a patent for robot bees that could offset the decline of bee populations.

Walmart has filed a patent for a robot bee that could potentially pollinate crops like real bees.
The patent could signal that Walmart is looking to have more control over its food supply chain.
Other organizations are also developing pollination drones to help offset the decline of bee populations.

Like an episode out of " target="_blank"Black Mirror," Walmart has filed a patent for autonomous robotic bees, technically called pollination drones, that could potentially pollinate crops just like real bees.

The drones would carry pollen from one plant to another, using sensors and cameras to detect the locations of the crops.

First spotted by CB Insights, the robot bee patent appears along five other patents for farming drones, including one that would identify pests and another that would monitor crop health. Walmart did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

While Walmart's exact goal for these patents is unclear, they may signal that the company hopes to venture into agriculture and gain more control over its food supply chain.

This would make sense, considering Walmart has recently focused on improving its grocery delivery business.

On Wednesday, the retailer announced that it will expand its grocery delivery this year to over 800 stores that reach 40% of US households. In some locations, the service will offer same-day delivery in as little as three hours. In January, Walmart also filed a patent for an online grocery shopping service that would allow shoppers to accept or reject produce picked by Walmart employees.

Walmart is not the first organization to create a robot bee. In recent years, scientists have searched for solutions to the decline of honeybees, whichone-third of the food we eat and are dying at unprecedented rates largely because of a colony collapse disorder.

introduced the first RoboBees

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