Researchers at the University of Washington have created small sensor backpacks that can be worn by bumblebees providing feedback on crops. The bees wearing sensors provide feedback on crop health as the bees go about their daily business.
Watch the demonstration video below to learn more about the Living IoT project that equips small insects with sensors and offer in more accurate alternative to mechanical drones.
Innovative Agricultural Monitoring
“Living IoT, the first wireless sensing system small enough to ride aboard a bumblebee. Since the Living IoT system requires power only for computation and sensing, a tiny rechargeable battery is sufficient to collect data over a period of up to seven hours uninterrupted — offering an alternative to mechanical drones that require frequent recharging for use in agricultural and environmental monitoring.
The team developed a localisation system that tracks the insect’s position in 2D space as it flies around gathering data such as temperature, humidity, and light intensity, which is stored in flight and uploaded at the end of the day using backscatter.”
Traditional methods of crop monitoring often involve the use of mechanical drones or manual labor, both of which have their limitations. Drones, while effective, require frequent recharging and can be costly to deploy on a large scale. Manual labor, on the other hand, is time-consuming and can be less precise. The use of bumblebees equipped with sensor backpacks offers a novel solution to these challenges. Bumblebees are natural pollinators and already traverse large areas of farmland, making them ideal candidates for this type of monitoring.
Advantages of Using Bumblebees
One of the significant advantages of using bumblebees for crop monitoring is their ability to access areas that might be difficult for drones or humans to reach. For instance, bumblebees can easily navigate through dense foliage and other obstacles, ensuring comprehensive data collection. Additionally, the lightweight sensor backpacks do not hinder the bees’ natural behavior, allowing them to continue their essential role in pollination while simultaneously gathering valuable data.
The data collected by these sensor-equipped bumblebees can provide farmers with real-time insights into the health of their crops. For example, temperature and humidity data can help identify areas of the field that may be at risk of disease or pest infestations. Light intensity measurements can inform farmers about the optimal conditions for crop growth, enabling them to make more informed decisions about irrigation and fertilization.
Moreover, the use of backscatter communication technology allows the data to be transmitted efficiently without the need for large, power-hungry transmitters. This technology reflects existing signals to transmit data, significantly reducing the energy required for communication. As a result, the tiny rechargeable batteries in the sensor backpacks can last for extended periods, making the system highly efficient and sustainable.
For more details on the new IoT technology jump over to the official University of Washington website by following the link below.
Source: UNI : Motherboard
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