While the Israeli Military is busy making some robotic Bombs called ‘Bionic Hornet’, Scientists at the U.S. Weapons Laboratory commented that they have trained bees to detect explosives. The new program will have great applications in the U.S. homeland security and the Iraq War.
Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico have claimed that they have supervised an 18-month training campaign for the bees and have been successful in training them to stick out their proboscis when they smell any type of explosives in cars and belts similar to those used by suicide bombers.
They have done this by exposing the insects to the odor of explosives ranging from Dynamite and C-4 plastic explosives to the Howitzer propellant grains used in improvised explosive devices. The bees were lured to do the task as they got sugar water in reward.
Researchers commented that bees could be easily carried in hand-held detectors the size of a shoe box and can be used to sniff out explosives in any type of environment. They also said that their next step will be to train the security guards in their use.
Via: reuters
