Description du projet
L’IA pour contribuer à sauver les abeilles qui s’affairent
Les abeilles sont des faiseuses de miracles. En tant que pollinisateurs, ces insectes ailés assurent la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition tout en maintenant la biodiversité et les écosystèmes. Trois cultures fruitières ou céréalières sur quatre dépendent des pollinisateurs. Alors que la demande de pollinisation augmente, le nombre de colonies d’abeilles s’effondre. Dans ce contexte, le projet BeeHome, financé par l’UE, mettra en place une plateforme visant à automatiser l’apiculture et la production de miel, et à optimiser la pollinisation. Alimentée par la robotique et l’intelligence artificielle (IA), cette nouvelle plateforme abritera jusqu’à 40 ruches et rationalisera leurs activités en répondant aux besoins de chaque colonie d’abeilles, en prévenant les migrations et les problèmes potentiels afin d’assurer la sécurité des abeilles alors qu’elles s’affairent.
Objectif
In recent years annual colony losses have reached an unprecedented ~30%. Sustaining apiaries in the face of Colony Collapse Disorder based on traditional labour-intensive work practices has become a determinate on apiaries’ profitability. Difficulties associated with production of honey combined with the ongoing increase in consumer demand for results in a sharp rise of honey prices. Furthermore, since the 1990’s the rate of increase in pollination-based agriculture has sharply increased, surpassing the average increase in the number of hives. This increase in demand for pollination services combined with the ongoing growing colony loss crises creates a severe shortage in bees for pollination - bees are highly effective pollinators with an annual global contribution to crop productivity of €147 billion. BeeHome is a patent-protected modular commercial apiary that automates beekeeping powered by AI. The BeeHome platform consists of hardware and software solution that fully automates beekeeping and honey production and optimizes pollination. The platform will house up to 40 colonies (hives) and streamline their activities. The hardware and software architecture enables BeeHome to act upon information, thus taking care of the individual needs of each bee colony, preventing and mitigating of potential problems before they become detrimental to the health of the colony. Such an approach will greatly diminish colony loss (80% reduction), considerably increase yields (50% increase), and significantly reduce labour costs (90% reduction). Bees’ role as pollinators is crucial: 30% of the food humans consume originates from bee pollination. The scale of current demand dictates that now is the right time to introduce this level of innovation to this very laggard industry. BeeHome is a complete paradigm shift within the field of beekeeping. The product will introduce AI, computer vision and state of the art robotics to the field of beekeeping.
Champ scientifique
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologyapidology
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy scienceapiculture
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinateur
2523300 OSHRAT
Israël
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.