Hive Observation System: hardware designs and tracking software

Hive Observation System - hardware designs and tracking software

Supplementary hardware and software for:

Ulrich, J., Stefanec, M., Rouček, T., Fedotoff, L. A., Pascher, H., Rozsypálek, Z., Schmickl, T. and Krajník, T. (2026). An open-hardware high-precision hive for long-term honeybee observation and research. Biology Open, bio062523. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062523

This repository contains the mechanical design files for an aluminium-profile two-frame honeybee observation hive (Zander comb format) and the ROS-based
software used to continuously track an individual honeybee (the queen) inside it.

How to cite

If you use these materials, please cite both the deposit and the article.

- Article: https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062523

Contents

```

├── hardware/
│   2026_BIO_hive_supplementary.pdf   ← component lists (Supplementary Tables S1–S5) and assembly schema and instructions (Supplementary Fig. S1)
│   ├── cad-source/          ← editable source models (STEP / native parametric)
└── software/
    └── tracking-software-source-code/   ← ROS workspace
        ├── rr_os_setup/
        └── ros_packages/
            ├── rr_datacollection/   ← recording, storage and upload management
            ├── rr_whycode/          ← WhyCode/WhyComb fiducial marker tracking
            ├── rr_camera/           ← camera acquisition node
            ├── rr_cropper/          ← cropping of the queen's immediate vicinity
            ├── rr_msgs/             ← custom message definitions
            └── rr_power_plug/       ← power-cycling / failure recovery
```

Hardware

The hive is built from standard extruded aluminium profiles and 3D-printed parts. External main-frame dimensions are 545 × 620 mm (excluding the stand). The design
is a drop-in replacement for a traditional two-frame wooden observation hive and is adaptable to other comb formats (e.g. Langstroth) by changing profile cut lengths
only. Editable CAD source is provided in `hardware/cad-source/` so the design can be modified, not only reprinted.
See the article's Materials and Methods for the full mechanical description.

Software

ROS-based acquisition, tracking, storage and monitoring pipeline. One processing instance runs per camera (one camera per comb side; four cameras for the two-frame
hive), and a collector node selects the active pipeline and writes a timestamped `rosbag`.