With SmartBeeNet, the RoboCreators are working with students and school pupils to develop an open system for protecting bees.
Together with students from the Faculty of Engineering at HTWK Leipzig and school pupils from Leipzig and the Leipzig region, the RoboCreators have developed the "SmartBeeNet" project - an intelligent, distributed monitoring system for monitoring beehives and automatically recording insects.
The aim of the project is to combine modern technologies such as embedded systems, sensor technology, edge computing, artificial image processing and energy self-sufficient IoT systems with environmental and species protection. The system combines sensor data such as temperature, humidity and weight with camera-based insect detection. Particular attention is paid to recognising invasive species such as the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), which is increasingly posing a threat to native bee colonies.
The system developed is based on a modular open source approach. With the help of ESP32 microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi systems, MQTT communication, solar technology and an intelligent trigger and camera control system, insects can be automatically recognised, recorded and documented. Light barriers, camera modules and energy-efficient sensor nodes create a decentralised monitoring system that can be used both stationary and mobile.
For the practical testing of the system, two bee colonies were also purchased, which are housed on the roof of the Wiener Building in Wächterstraße 13 at HTWK Leipzig. SmartBeeNet is tested there under real conditions and continuously developed further. The combination of digital measurement technology and practical beekeeping enables direct investigation of the behaviour and condition of bee colonies in urban areas.
With this project, RoboCreators and HTWK Leipzig are making an active contribution to the protection of biodiversity and nature conservation in Leipzig. At the same time, a modern research and learning environment is being created in which technical innovations are directly linked to ecological issues.
Another focus of the project is on educational work. SmartBeeNet gives school pupils practical insights into computer science, electronics, 3D printing, CAD design, programming and sustainable technologies. At the same time, students at HTWK Leipzig learn interdisciplinary work between computer science, electrical engineering, environmental technology and design.
The RoboCreators are deliberately pursuing the open source concept: hardware designs, software modules and documentation are to be made publicly available so that schools, universities, makerspaces and private individuals can build and further develop their own systems at low cost. The aim is to make modern environmental measurement technology accessible to a broad public and to promote technical interest among young people.
"SmartBeeNet shows how innovative university projects can address social challenges together with young people from the region. In addition to protecting insects and bees, the main focus is on teaching technical skills in a practical way," explain the RoboCreators.
In the long term, the system will not only be used to protect bee colonies, but will also enable the automated monitoring of insect populations in general. In future, the data obtained could help to recognise changes in ecosystems at an early stage and analyse them scientifically.
The project thus combines research, education, sustainability and open source in a shared technical learning and development space.
SmartBeeNet is based on the open source multi-sensor system KInsecta , which already enables the camera-based recording and documentation of insects. The RoboCreators extend the platform to include distributed sensor nodes for monitoring beehives. Thanks to the open architecture, research institutions, schools and interested parties can use and further develop the system flexibly. KInsecta GitLab
