<topbar style="display:none;"> <item><a href="../index.html">Home</a></item> <item><a href="../about_me/about_me.html">About me</a></item> </topbar> <!-- This is a comment, it is ignored by the compiler/interpreter --> <style> h0 { font-family:; font-size: 30px; color: #414040; margin-top: 50px; margin-bottom: 6px; word-spacing: 5px; } </style> ##week1: final project concept <br> <br> ###A beehive for the indigenous bee species in the Amazon <br> <br> ####Context in bullets <br> * Deforestation has been a big problem in the Amazon. While it is largely done by industries (soy beans, beef, mining, logging etc.), poverty-driven deforestation also contributes up to 10% (Brazil) - not a small number. * There are a few local NPOs that have been promoting indigenous beekeeping for years as an alternative means of earning income for the communities in the Amazon Forest. * The bee genus (melipona bees) they use is native to the tropical rainforest and biologically different from the common apis bees. While the quality of melipona honey is known to be better than that of apis honey, the yield is very little; The yield is only 1/40 - 1/20 of that of apis honey. Since little has been investigated by researchers or industries outside the region, I hypothesize that there must be a lot of spaces left for improvement. ####Goal <br> To make a bee box that (1) collects data relevant to maximize the yield by a set of sensors and (2) actually increases the yield by an artificial beehive (=inner structure) that are made by 3D printer. Current image of my final project design: <br> <img src="./takeo_final_3d.png" alt="takeo_final_3d" width="700"/> * Above is basically the recreation of the current model the NPO has. Here, I would like to add the following: 1. Temperature and humidity sensors: in case of apiculture, temperature and humidity are two measure factors that contribute to the yield (e.g. if the inner temperature is too high, bees would hover near the entrance to send fresh air to the hive). I would like to use them as predictor. 2. CO2 sensor: Terenzi et al. (2020) investigated for apiculture that the correlation between CO2 concentration and the migration event of bees, in which bees leave the old hive, taking the stored honey. 3. Microphone: Cecchi et al. (2019) noted that bees communicate using a set of particular sound within the hive, potentially useful information to understand the health status of the colony. 4. 3D-modeled premade beehive structure: according to the local NGO, it would take two months for melipona bees to build the hive structure from scratch. As shown in the photo below, it is not the common hexagonal shape, making it difficult to recreate. I would like to see 3D print the same/similar structure to test if it helps bees save their time and allocate their energy on honey production. 5. Data storage: since I do not expect to have good reception in the middle of the Amazon, it is necessary to store the data until someone has a plan to visit a nearby city. 6. Battery: needed to power the sensors and memory drive. [original files](https://hu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/ttokunari_mde_harvard_edu/Eo_MW5iJhp1GvL7Oqn-jOrYB6G4nvFlrPQ0QWN5hT0okVg?e=J0TZIo "original files") <br>