Thermoregulating Robotic Beehives

The challenge is enormous

A group of biologists and robotics experts over at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanna (EPFL) in Switzerland and the University of Graz in Austria have designed an innovative robotic beehive that is designed to provide thermal support to bees during events of cold weather, ensuring that the bees don't experience coma and death.

The robotic beehive is designed to be compact and easy to insert into beehives. It is equipped with sensors and actuators that can convey data to remote observers, who can use the data to subtly alter thermal fields inside beehives in order to maintain optimal temperature. This high-tech device addresses the fact that thermoregulation is critical to honeybees, who can react to very cold temperatures by stopping buzzing their wings to foster heat, often with deadly results.

With promising results available from testing thus far, it's apparent that this robotic beehive could be of significant use in beekeeping industries due to its ability to save bee colonies from tragedy due to the deleterious effects of cold snaps.

Image Credit: Artificial Life Lab / University of Graz / Hiveopolis