All I know about bees I learned from three sources. I watch lots of Elementary and Sherlock, which seem to talk about bees quite a bit. I also watched Bee Movie and learned a lot from Seinfeld, namely that honey theft is a serious crime. My cousin also had been hives growing up and I learned that even when you are wearing a beekeeper suit, you can still get stung. That’s all I really need to know.
If you like keeping bees a new hive system has turned up on Indiegogo that makes it easy to harvest the honey with minimum effort and stress on you or the bees. The system is called the Flow Hive. When harvest time comes around all you need to do is walk up and turn the crank, and the honey flows out into collection jars. A special system of prefabricated honeycomb structures allows the honey to flow easily with minimal disturbance to the bees. In the past, harvesting involved donning a suit, using smoke, and spinning the honeycomb to get the honey out, so the Flow Hive represents a major improvement in the process.
The Flow Hive crowdfunding project was seeking just $70,000 and has raised nearly $2 million so far, with 42 days left to go. A system will cost you $350 if you want to get in on the beekeeping action.
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There's hardly a shortage of animal inspired robots, but few are as tiny as Harvard's autonomous RoboBee. The robotic insect has been around for a while, but researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering only recently managed a minor breakthrough: controlled flight. Using new manufacturing and design processes, the team has managed to keep the coin-sized bug aloft by independently manipulating the robot's wings with piezoelectric actuators and a delicate control system.
"This is what I have been trying to do for literally the last 12 years," explains Professor Robert J Wood, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "Now that we've got this unique platform, there are dozens of tests that we're starting to do, including more aggressive control maneuvers and landing." There's more to be done, however. The tiny machine still requires a tether for power and control, and researchers are still studying nature to suss out how insects cope with flying through wind and the elements. Eventually, the team hopes to outfit the RoboBee with lightweight batteries, an internal control system and a lighter chassis. For now, however, they're just happy to learned to steer. Check out the insect in action after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Harvard
The alarming decline in honey bee populations has gotten a great deal of attention in recent years and this has translated into numerous products to curb the odd disappearance. Rowan Dunford’s Urban Beehive represents a modern take on the traditional hive that will appeal to contemporary home environments. The lightweight, stackable, and flat-pack-ready design has a simple and understated aesthetic. With straightforward setup and operation, the casual beekeeper can be up-and-running in no time.
Designer: Rowan Dunford
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(Backyard Beehive was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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