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The goal is to create safer, more comfortable, and, for the military's purposes, differently motorized flight.
A honeybee flies through a tunnel with checkerboard-pattern sides. The bee's every movement is recorded by high-speed video cameras, as researchers in a $2-million greenhouse here on the roof of the Queensland Brain Institute study how the insects navigate through complex environments, avoid collisions, and manage soft landings.
"The neat thing about bees is they can be trained," says the leader of the laboratory, Mandyam Srinivasan. "They will do almost anything you ask them to do for a drop of sugar water."
One floor down, Mr. Srinivasan, a professor of visual neuroscience, puts the knowledge he has gleaned from bees' brains to work. He and his colleagues use computer simulations, miniature aircraft, and cameras designed to mimic bees' eyes to test their flight strategies. The goal is to create safer, more comfortable, and, for the military's purposes, stealthier motorized flight.
In its quest to become a more innovative economy, or "Smart State," the Australian state of Queensland wants to attract more scientists like Mr. Srinivasan. His findings are published in prominent journals like Nature and Science, giving a boost in global rankings to the University of Queensland, home of the brain institute. His research is supported by the U.S. military, basic-science agencies, and the aviation industry. He also had enough clout as a researcher to become a Smart State Premier's Fellow, an award that takes care of his salary and serves as a magnet for more talent.
While Mr. Srinivasan's use...