Conversations Holiday Listening: Birds, bees and intelligent machines
Jan 4, 2026
Mandyam Srinivasan, a visual neuroscientist and Emeritus Professor at the Queensland Brain Institute, shares fascinating insights into bee and bird vision. He reveals how bees elegantly navigate and land using complex vision systems, similar to those in human cognition. The discussion touches on bees' panoramic views and unique landing strategies, alongside the innovative applications of this research in developing drones that fly autonomously without GPS. Srinivasan also delves into the ethics of drone technology, highlighting its potential in various fields like rescue operations and military use.
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Tiny Brains, Big Capabilities
- Bees have tiny brains yet perform complex tasks like color learning, navigation and long-distance flight.
- Mandyam Srinivasan emphasizes their neural components are functionally similar to ours despite massive size differences.
High Frame-Rate Vision
- Bee vision trades spatial acuity for much higher temporal resolution, like a lower-resolution camera with faster frame-rate.
- This lets bees detect rapid motion (e.g. 100 Hz flicker) and navigate dense foliage effectively.
Motion Balancing For Centering
- Bees steer by comparing image motion from both sides: equal motion means centered, faster motion on one side means veer away.
- Srinivasan demonstrated this using tunnels with movable wall patterns to alter perceived motion.
