Showing off capabilities in complex and time-critical inspection processes, smart camera technology is being used for novel studies into the activities of honeybees, which are suffering from an alarming rate of colony collapse disorder (CCD).
The BEEgroup (www.beegroup.de) at the University of Würzburg joined forces with Eidecon Automation, Vision & Control, and KBA Metronic to develop technology to research honeybee populations.
The solution comes through RFID tags with data matrix codes attached to the backs of honeybees. Smart cameras are attached inside beehives and used to register the honeybees and draw up individual movement profiles.
The researchers hope to use the data to drive actions on protecting the role of bees on our planet. The BEEgroup has studied the feedback to learn more about how the physical and chemical parameters of a nest affect the bees' physiology.
The smart camera technology was provided by Vision & Control (www.vision-control.com), and modified for this project by Eidecon Automation.
