A patent filed by Walmart shows that we might soon be witnessing robotic bees pollinating crops autonomously.

Walmart’s patent shows that there will be autonomous, robot bees, which it calls ‘pollination drones’, that would act just like the normal ones and pollinate crops independently. These bees would carry pollen from one plant to the other with the help of sensors and cameras in order to locate particular crops and pollinate as efficiently as a real bee.

The patent was one of the six patents for farming drones that Walmart filed, as noted by CB Insights. From monitoring crop damage to automatically identifying pests, the patents included all. This integration of autonomous robots into farming is another way of cutting down costs and increasing the agriculture efficiency.

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However, what left the people more curious is that why would a retail company like Walmart file patents related to farming drones. It is anticipated that it might be an indication that the retailer is aiming to venture into agriculture and increase its control over its food supply chain, considering the fact that it is already focusing on advancing its grocery delivery business. Unluckily, the company has not yet publicly commented anything about the patents, reported Business Insider.

Moreover, Walmart is not the first one for these robotic bees’ idea. Back in 2013, Harvard University researchers introduced the first RoboBees, which can now fly, stick to surfaces, swim underwater and dive in and out of water, with the researchers hoping to soon start artificial pollination of crops with them.