Welcome to the series “Everyday AI”!
Artificial intelligence (AI) is our passion. That’s why we always keep our ears open and like to think outside the box. In our new “Everyday AI” series, we’d like to share with you what’s happening in the field outside of customer service and telecommunications. What promising projects are out there? How can we make sense of fascinating technologies? Dive in with us – today with thoughts on World Bee Day – from our “Bee” Sabine.
May 20th is World Bee Day, every year, proclaimed by the United Nations to draw attention to the decline of the world’s bee populations and to emphasize that there are far-reaching consequences if we don’t protect the bees!
World Bee Day is a big day for a small animal and we need these little buzzers. Their importance as pollinators for biodiversity and food security is elemental to humanity.
While I’m sitting in the sun, exhausted but satisfied from this year’s bee run, I’m wondering whether artificial intelligence for the protection of bees actually already exists. That would make a lot of sense. Just asking myself that doesn’t bring an answer, so I move my seat in front of the computer and search a bit. I do not need long for it.
Artificial intelligence has indeed already moved into beehives. The SME “Beewise” has developed the “Beehome Platform,” a modular, commercial AI-controlled bee house consisting of hardware and software that fully automates beekeeping while optimizing pollination and honey production. The technology is not limited to honey bees, but can also support various bee species that are at risk of extinction. The platform includes an automated robotic incubator management system, a computer vision-based monitoring system, AI-assisted decision-making, an automated honey harvesting system, and systems for pest control, feeding, and thermoregulation.
So, with the autonomous hive that allows beekeepers to take care of hives remotely, “Beewise” is bringing beekeeping into the digital age. Through integrated machine vision, artificial intelligence and robotics, it enables automatic control of climate and humidity, pest control, swarm prevention and harvesting, and notifies those in charge when something goes wrong.
Not bad. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the project. And in the meantime, I’m doing something in my area – so this year, as part of the Bee Run, I not only walked around the Marchfeld Canal, I also visited all the hives, looked for regional vendors, and also had a chat or two with the beekeepers. The area around the Marchfeld Canal is quite bee-friendly and I am especially happy about that. My athletic competition time has indeed neatly harmed, but what the heck, next year, I’ll run faster! Or just not, because watching the bees, was actually much nicer!
More info?
BeeWise – https://www.beewise.ag
Bee Run – https://lauf-weiter.de/bienenlauf/
Honeyranch – beekeeping at the Marchfeldkanal http://www.honeyranch.at
Beekeeping Alte Schanze – https://www.stadtlandwirtschaft.wien/betrieb/5022746/imkerei-alte-schanze
Stroking bees in Tribuswinkel – http://www.honigexpress.at
The finest bee creations at Imkergut – try it out! http://imkergut.de