User Tools

Site Tools


bee_laboratory_talk

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revisionPrevious revision
Next revision
Previous revision
bee_laboratory_talk [2014/05/11 10:36] – [4. relation to the environment] amibee_laboratory_talk [2016/01/13 17:48] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
Line 12: Line 12:
 \\ \\
  
-**WHAT WE DID**+**WHAT WE DID ALLREADY**
 \\ \\
 =====1. observation set ups===== =====1. observation set ups=====
 For many years now, I have been creating experimental set-ups using sustainable beehives that have been augmented with sensors and sensory processing algorithms to analyse the state of the colony, the quality of pollen and propolis and the behavior of the bees. These beehives are progressively linked in a European-wide network and the data is being made available online.  For many years now, I have been creating experimental set-ups using sustainable beehives that have been augmented with sensors and sensory processing algorithms to analyse the state of the colony, the quality of pollen and propolis and the behavior of the bees. These beehives are progressively linked in a European-wide network and the data is being made available online. 
- 
 Together with a group of engineers, computer scientists, artists and beekeepers I created in 2011 the Green Beehive at Okno. This was a Dadant Blatt beehive that we enhanced with sensors and camera facilities. Together with a group of engineers, computer scientists, artists and beekeepers I created in 2011 the Green Beehive at Okno. This was a Dadant Blatt beehive that we enhanced with sensors and camera facilities.
 +In 2013 I initiated the OpenSourceBeehives project in Barcelona. Together with the Fab Lab from the IAAC architecture institute, we set up a test station on the premises of Valldaura Self Sufficient Labs. We installed also several Warré beehives at our headquarters in Brussels.
  
-In 2013 I initiated the OpenSourceBeehives project in Barcelona. Together with the Fab Lab from the IAAC architecture institute, we set up a test station on the premises of Valldaura Self Sufficient Labs. We installed several Warré beehives 
  
- +**Focus on Transparent Beehive:** 
- +
-Focus on Transparent Beehive: +
 April 2012 I have built the Transparent Beehive, which was operational for 1 year. The Transparent Beehive was located in a small laboratory  at OKNO, our artist studio. It was connected to Okno's urban rooftop garden. April 2012 I have built the Transparent Beehive, which was operational for 1 year. The Transparent Beehive was located in a small laboratory  at OKNO, our artist studio. It was connected to Okno's urban rooftop garden.
 The inside of the Transparent Beehive was equipped with temperature and humidity sensors and with a webcam. These data were related to the temperature and humidity in the garden and to the number of bees leaving the hive to forage for pollen and nectar. The inside of the Transparent Beehive was equipped with temperature and humidity sensors and with a webcam. These data were related to the temperature and humidity in the garden and to the number of bees leaving the hive to forage for pollen and nectar.
  
 {{:soundbeehive:hive-felt.jpg?233x350|}} {{:soundbeehive:hive-uncovered.jpg?233x350|}} {{:soundbeehive:hive-felt.jpg?233x350|}} {{:soundbeehive:hive-uncovered.jpg?233x350|}}
- +The Transparent Beehive was inspired by the book beehive designed by François Huber in 1780. I adapted the book-beehive to the standards of a modern library archive. The frames were mounted on sliders, easy to open for inspecting the hive or for looking after the queen. I like the metaphor of 'reading the development of a colony by browsing through a book'. I  want to set up a real collaboration with the bees.
-The Transparent Beehive was inspired by the book beehive designed by François Huber in 1780. I adapted the book-beehive to the standards of a modern library archive. The frames were mounted on sliders, easy to open for inspecting the hive or for looking after the queen.+
  
 {{:soundbeehive:book-beehive.jpg?365x212|}} {{:soundbeehive:beekeeper.jpg?350x233|}}  {{:soundbeehive:book-beehive.jpg?365x212|}} {{:soundbeehive:beekeeper.jpg?350x233|}} 
- 
 The Transparent Beehive is one of my observatories to study how a bee colony evolves. Contact microphones are embedded in the hive and its comb frames, and the bees' activities are recorded on 12 mono audio channels. The final -slow art- output creates a 3D sound-scan of life in the hive. It is complemented with additional measurement of internal temperature and humidity and external measurements of climate, soil and vegetation. Storing the data over a 12 months period provides very detailed observations and it allows us to discover and follow long-term trends in the complex relations between the colony and its environment.  The Transparent Beehive is one of my observatories to study how a bee colony evolves. Contact microphones are embedded in the hive and its comb frames, and the bees' activities are recorded on 12 mono audio channels. The final -slow art- output creates a 3D sound-scan of life in the hive. It is complemented with additional measurement of internal temperature and humidity and external measurements of climate, soil and vegetation. Storing the data over a 12 months period provides very detailed observations and it allows us to discover and follow long-term trends in the complex relations between the colony and its environment. 
 \\ \\
 \\ \\
  
- +=====2. monitoring: sensors, data transmission and visualisation=====
-=====2. the Transparent Beehive===== +
-But the real focus of the Transparent Beehive was to study the behaviour of the bees and to link the development of the colony to the sound it produces. Therefore I installed 8 contact microphones in the frames of the beehive.  +
-When I populated the Transparent Beehive with a swarm, the bees started to fill the frames with comb and slowly they covered the empty hive with tens of thousands of wax cells to store the nectar and the pollen they brought back from their foraging flights. The center frames were reserved for the queen to lay eggs and for the young bees to raise the brood.  +
- +
-{{:soundbeehive:blackboard.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:bees-sensors.jpg?350x233|}} +
- +
-Social insects are a crucial element in our ecosystem. The study and monitoring of the honeybees allows for experimentation with couplings between nature and technology. I like the metaphor of 'reading the development of a colony by browsing through a book'. I  want to set up a real collaboration with the bees. I introduce them to the public as performers.  +
- +
-{{:soundbeehive:bee-blob.jpg?350x200|}} {{:soundbeehive:supercolliderpatch.jpg?350x219|}} +
-{{:soundbeehive:sonogram.jpg?350x233|}} +
-\\ +
-\\ +
- +
- +
-=====3. monitoring: sensors, data transmission and visualisation=====+
 monitoring equipment: bee monitoring and big data sets monitoring equipment: bee monitoring and big data sets
 Complex systems analysis and machine learning are needed for detecting these patterns and to allow prediction and the shaping of ongoing social and biological processes, and to develop novel user interfaces that are needed to make embedded technologies accessible and usable without requiring sophisticated background or training.  Complex systems analysis and machine learning are needed for detecting these patterns and to allow prediction and the shaping of ongoing social and biological processes, and to develop novel user interfaces that are needed to make embedded technologies accessible and usable without requiring sophisticated background or training. 
  
 {{:soundbeehive:monitoring-diagram.jpg?350x197|}} {{:soundbeehive:monitoring-diagram.jpg?350x197|}}
- 
 Two temperature sensors and a humidity sensor are installed in the hive. There is also a combined  temperature/humidity sensor placed outside in the rooftop garden  to measure the environmental information.  The monitoring system is logging all these data.  The sensors are connected  to an arduino board,  which is linked to the internet.   With this set up I can follow at any time the warming up  and cooling down in the hive.  Temperature and humidity inside and outside the hive  are important indicators of hive health. Two temperature sensors and a humidity sensor are installed in the hive. There is also a combined  temperature/humidity sensor placed outside in the rooftop garden  to measure the environmental information.  The monitoring system is logging all these data.  The sensors are connected  to an arduino board,  which is linked to the internet.   With this set up I can follow at any time the warming up  and cooling down in the hive.  Temperature and humidity inside and outside the hive  are important indicators of hive health.
- 
  
 {{:soundbeehive:camera.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:webcam.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:camera.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:webcam.jpg?350x233|}}
 {{:soundbeehive:bees-pandora.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:bees-pandora.jpg?350x233|}}
- 
 In the open database pandora.okno.be we track, annotate and share our visual findings. Here we see the timeline of a 365days monitoring video. The webcam was placed in the beehive together with a new bee swarm, and recorded the bees' actions over 1 bee year. Two temperature sensors and a humidity sensor were also installed in the hive. A combined temperature/humidity sensor was placed outside in the rooftop garden to measure the environmental information. The monitoring system was logging all data, which were sent in real time to the internet. This set up allows us to follow up at any time the health of the bee colony. In the open database pandora.okno.be we track, annotate and share our visual findings. Here we see the timeline of a 365days monitoring video. The webcam was placed in the beehive together with a new bee swarm, and recorded the bees' actions over 1 bee year. Two temperature sensors and a humidity sensor were also installed in the hive. A combined temperature/humidity sensor was placed outside in the rooftop garden to measure the environmental information. The monitoring system was logging all data, which were sent in real time to the internet. This set up allows us to follow up at any time the health of the bee colony.
 \\ \\
 \\ \\
  
 +=====3. the Transparent Beehive=====
 +But the real focus of the Transparent Beehive was to study the behaviour of the bees and to link the development of the colony to the sound it produces. Therefore I installed 8 contact microphones in the frames of the beehive. 
 +When I populated the Transparent Beehive with a swarm, the bees started to fill the frames with comb and slowly they covered the empty hive with tens of thousands of wax cells to store the nectar and the pollen they brought back from their foraging flights. The center frames were reserved for the queen to lay eggs and for the young bees to raise the brood. 
 +
 +{{:soundbeehive:blackboard.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:bees-sensors.jpg?350x233|}}
 +Social insects are a crucial element in our ecosystem. The study and monitoring of the honeybees allows for experimentation with couplings between nature and technology. I like the metaphor of 'reading the development of a colony by browsing through a book'. I  want to set up a real collaboration with the bees. I introduce them to the public as performers. 
 +
 +{{:soundbeehive:bee-blob.jpg?350x200|}} {{:soundbeehive:supercolliderpatch.jpg?350x219|}}
 +{{:soundbeehive:sonogram.jpg?350x233|}}
 +\\
 +\\
  
 =====4. relation to the environment===== =====4. relation to the environment=====
Line 75: Line 63:
 Bees are a means for exploring how humans interact with and understand nature. As an urban ecologist, I want to study the link of the honeybees to the environment. The bees' overlapping foraging areas create ecological corridors throughout the city. By hacking rooftops and transforming them into urban gardens, I am experimenting with new forms of sculpting the public space. It generates a form of site-specific art intended to provoke change.   Ecological corridors in urban environments are a new medium of social sculpture, a Gesamtkunstwerk that relies on the creative participation of many. Bees are a means for exploring how humans interact with and understand nature. As an urban ecologist, I want to study the link of the honeybees to the environment. The bees' overlapping foraging areas create ecological corridors throughout the city. By hacking rooftops and transforming them into urban gardens, I am experimenting with new forms of sculpting the public space. It generates a form of site-specific art intended to provoke change.   Ecological corridors in urban environments are a new medium of social sculpture, a Gesamtkunstwerk that relies on the creative participation of many.
  
-{{:soundbeehive:gilgram.jpg?350x233|}} +{{:soundbeehive:gilgram.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:foragingmap-radar.jpg?350x233|}}
-{{:soundbeehive:foragingmap-radar.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:flightroutes2.jpg?350x233|}}+
 I have set out several urban test fields in the Brussels' Canal Zone. This area features diverse activities: from community gardening and urban agriculture to accidental nature, interspersed between industrial buildings, office zones and living areas. My test sites are connected by the flight routes and foraging activities of the bees. They create a green corridor in the city. I have set out several urban test fields in the Brussels' Canal Zone. This area features diverse activities: from community gardening and urban agriculture to accidental nature, interspersed between industrial buildings, office zones and living areas. My test sites are connected by the flight routes and foraging activities of the bees. They create a green corridor in the city.
  
-{{:soundbeehive:strawberrypollen.jpg?350x233|}}+{{:soundbeehive:flightroutes2.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:buckwheatpollen2.jpg?350x233|}}
 How can we study the differences between a biological corridor and the rest of the city? The honeybee colonies forage in a radius of 3 kilometers around their beehive. They fly on their own airborne roads back and forth from their collecting jobs and bring a sense of rural to the urban environment. I analyse the pollen that the bees bring back from their foraging trips, and compare them with existing scientific databases. With this information I  can determine and map the melliferous plants in the green corridors and monitor the evolution of the plant diversity. Complex systems analysis and machine learning techniques can detect patterns to predict ongoing social and biological processes.  How can we study the differences between a biological corridor and the rest of the city? The honeybee colonies forage in a radius of 3 kilometers around their beehive. They fly on their own airborne roads back and forth from their collecting jobs and bring a sense of rural to the urban environment. I analyse the pollen that the bees bring back from their foraging trips, and compare them with existing scientific databases. With this information I  can determine and map the melliferous plants in the green corridors and monitor the evolution of the plant diversity. Complex systems analysis and machine learning techniques can detect patterns to predict ongoing social and biological processes. 
 \\ \\
Line 94: Line 81:
  
 {{:soundbeehive:articulation-hive.jpg?350x236|}} {{:soundbeehive:courgettehive-02.jpg?250x255|}}  {{:soundbeehive:articulation-hive.jpg?350x236|}} {{:soundbeehive:courgettehive-02.jpg?250x255|}} 
- 
 I imagine a world where biological fabrication replaces traditional manufacturing and thus where new sustainable beehives can be generated simply by growing them. The design of such beehives will be inspired by art forms from nature and so I am  searching the scientific literature to find the requirements for an ideal honeybee nest and create physical prototypes using smart and organic materials. I imagine a world where biological fabrication replaces traditional manufacturing and thus where new sustainable beehives can be generated simply by growing them. The design of such beehives will be inspired by art forms from nature and so I am  searching the scientific literature to find the requirements for an ideal honeybee nest and create physical prototypes using smart and organic materials.
 \\ \\
Line 100: Line 86:
  
 =====6. bio-degradable sensors===== =====6. bio-degradable sensors=====
-(check peter/melanine) +A guerilla beehive is intended to function completely independently. I want to equip them with biodegradable sensors that make distant, non-intrusive monitoring possible. The hives therefore do not need to be opened and bees do not need to be disturbed to monitor the colony. The audio- and visual data can be aggregated, processed and shared in real time over the internet.   
-A guerilla beehive is intended to function completely independently. I want to equip them with biodegradable sensors that make distant, non-intrusive monitoring possible. The hives therefore do not need to be opened and bees do not need to be disturbed to monitor the colony. The audio- and visual data can be aggregated, processed and shared in real time over the internet.  Moreover I believe that the sensors can be powered by solar energy, honey batteries or microbial fuel cells and I am collaborating with scientists to make this possible. The whole system is set up as a fully organic project: cradle to cradle. If the bees decide to leave the hive in search for another home, the hive (with its integrated electronics) will bio-degrade and compost completely.+I believe that the sensors can be powered by solar energy or microbial fuel cells and I am collaborating with scientists to make this possible. The whole system is set up as a fully organic project: cradle to cradle.  
 +If the bees decide to leave the hive in search for another home, the hive (with its integrated electronics) will bio-degrade and compost completely. 
 + 
 +{{:soundbeehive:bio-ingredients.jpeg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:glove-box.jpeg?350x233|}} 
 +DIY bio-based electronics. A temperature sensor (thermistor) consisting of a biological semiconductor, melanin, which is synthesized by bacteria from yeast of kefir. 
 + 
 +{{:soundbeehive:bio-temp-sensor.jpeg?350x233|}}
  
-{{:soundbeehive:bio-ingredients.jpeg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:glove-box.jpeg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:bio-temp-sensor.jpeg?350x233|}} 
 \\ \\
 \\ \\
Line 115: Line 106:
  
 {{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell04.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell01.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell04.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell01.jpg?350x233|}}
 +A MFC consists of an anode, a cathode, a proton or cation exchange membrane and an electrical circuit. A microbial fuel cell converts chemical energy, available in a bio-convertible substrate, directly into electricity. To achieve this, bacteria are used as a catalyst to convert substrate into electrons. Bacteria are very small organisms which can convert a huge variety of organic compounds into CO2, water and energy. The micro-organsisms use the produced energy to grow and to maintain there metabolism. However, by using a MFC we can harvest a part of this microbial energy in the form of electricity.
 +
 {{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell02.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:microbialfuelcell02.jpg?350x233|}}
 \\ \\
Line 125: Line 118:
  
 {{:soundbeehive:urbanfarm02.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:serre_hive.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:urbanfarm02.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:serre_hive.jpg?350x233|}}
-{{:soundbeehive:img_8720.jpg?233x350|}}+In another project I work on the visualization of the temperature in a bee nest with specialized equipment, namely, a thermographic (or infrared) camera. During several months I will make continuous recordings of the thermal structure of a beehive. Temperature is one of the most important parameters in the development of a bee colony. The energy the bees have to spend to keep the inside of the hive to a constant level of 35°C depends also on environmental factors such as the surface and location of foraging fields, the biodiversity, pollution and pesticides. The temperature study of a beehive related to the measured environmental factors can help us to develop intelligent beehives that sustain the colony in their energy management.
  
-Together with Vincent I am working on a new version of the Sound Beehive. We are preparing the setup and soon we will introduce the bees. +{{:soundbeehive:img_8720.jpg?233x350|}} 
-The purpose is to take snippets of sound on regular time intervals, on 8 audio channels. +I am working on a new version of the Sound Beehive. We are preparing the setup and soon we will introduce the bees. 
-The 8 channels are mixed into an mp3 stereo file in the computer and than uploaded as a playlist on the OKNO server.+We mounted 4 piezo microphones on the frames and 4 electret microphones in the rooftop of the hive. The purpose is to take snippets of sound on regular time intervals, on 8 separate audio channels. The 8 channels are mixed into an mp3 stereo file in the computer and than uploaded as a (nearly realtime) playlist on the OKNO server for public access. 
 +The archived files will be analysed by scientists on recurrent patterns and the results will be linked back to the behaviour of the bees.
  
 {{:soundbeehive:soundbeehive01.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:soundbeehive02.jpg?350x233|}} {{:soundbeehive:soundbeehive01.jpg?350x233|}}{{:soundbeehive:soundbeehive02.jpg?350x233|}}
bee_laboratory_talk.1399804567.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/01/13 17:46 (external edit)