Here at The Optimist Daily, we’re major advocates for solutions aimed at tackling the collapse of the global bee population. Today, we bring you a solution that may offer a snapshot of what beekeeping of the future will look like, tapping into AI and machine learning to keep the pollinators safe.
Created by startup Beewise, Beehome is a fully automated superhive powered by AI and robotics, which enable 24/7 remote monitoring and significantly reduce annual colony loss. The robotic beehive has been created with the purpose of safeguarding the future of these essential pollinators that make critical contributions to agriculture around the globe.
Breaking away from the traditional shape of a beehive, the Beehome is an 8’ x 8’ x 6’ cube housing the equivalent of 24 hives or one million bees. The integrated technology enables beekeepers to remotely address temperature, infestations, and local water and forage supplies — all of which affect bee health.
In addition to enabling remote monitoring, the robot within the hive features an arm that glides down the aisle between sub-colonies, removing honeycombs while also capturing photos and videos that are translated into data to be digested by the software. In its turn, the software’s performance is regularly improved thanks to machine learning, enabling the automated hives to reduce annual losses from 40 percent down to less than eight percent.
