←back to thread

Mothbox 4.0

(digital-naturalism-laboratories.github.io)
216 points bookofjoe | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.199s | source
Show context
hikinghack ◴[] No.41854109[source]
Hi! I'm andy! I'm the guy who spent the past year making the Mothbox! I don't know how this got on ycombinator, but cool! We are working here together Let me know if you have any questions!

Some quick basics: It's an entirely open source system made from off-the-shelf parts made so you can build one yourself! We built it to help a set of community reforestation initiatives here in Panama! (

Existing automated insect monitors we checked out wouldn't work for us because: 1) They were REALLY BIG (like huge heavy suitcase size+) 2) They were really EXPENSIVE (like 7000-15000$ !) 3) There wasn't any info to build robust ones that could withstand months in the rainforest!

So we build one ourselves! We started with absolutely no budget, and the costs that people have noticed ($375) are really the cheapest you can find these parts (Pi5 + big battery + 64MP camera + really bright lights), and for instance are on par with the $200 just for the 16mp logitech webcam employed in many existing insect monitors!

We got about 20 of these out in the wild here in Panama already, and are literally building more in the jungle as I'm typing this!

replies(4): >>41854978 #>>41855007 #>>41855838 #>>41856901 #
1. bookofjoe ◴[] No.41855007[source]
Here is how you got on ycombinator:

1. I happened on your website in Clive Thompson's newsletter, among the websites in his final "sudden death" round:

https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-25-the...

2. I thought HN peeps would find it of interest so I submitted it