Bee e-Keepers Extraordinary Innovation
Sensor Backpack that Rides on Bumblebees Source: University of Washington Small, Sensing Biosystem for Farms & The Environment This is extraordinary innovation at the cutting edge to monitor the environment and farms. It's from computer scientists and engineers at the University of Washington. They've invented a sensor system small enough to ride on the back of a bumblebee to gather data on the health and quality of farm plants. Better Than Drones Farmers are using drones to monitor temperature, humidity and crop health over their fields. There are big limits caused by power needs of drones. The drones can't go very far without a recharge every 10 to 20 minutes. Bees on Patrol with Backpacks Bees fly on their own, so the system needs only a tiny rechargeable battery. It lasts 7 hours for data collection and can be recharged wirelessly when the bees return to their hives. The scientists download the data when the bees return t...