cs.ROApr 4, 2026

COMB: Common Open Modular robotic platform for Bees

Authors: Pranav Kedia, Marie Messerich, Tim Landgraf

Organizations: Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Konstanz, Germany · Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany · Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

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Abstract

Experimental access to real honeybee colonies requires robotic systems capable of operating within limited spatial constraints, tolerating hive-specific fouling and environmental conditions, and supporting both sensing and localized actuation without frequent hardware redesign. This paper introduces COMB, a compact, open-source, modular mechatronic platform designed for in-hive experiments within standard observation-hive frames. The platform integrates a XY positioning stage, a Movable Access Window (MAW) for sealed tool access through the hive boundary, interchangeable payload modules, and an embedded control architecture that enables repeatable trajectory execution and signal generation. The platform's capabilities are demonstrated through three representative modules: a biomimetic dance-and-signaling payload, a close-range comb scanner, and an electromagnetic wing actuator for localized oscillatory stimulation. This paper details the hardware and software design of COMB, outlines its operational capabilities, and describes the supporting infrastructure for conducting real-world in-hive experiments. The platform is characterized in engineering terms through tracking waggle-trajectory executions, performing multi-image stitching for repeated comb mosaics, and conducting video-based spectral analysis of the wing actuator. These results position COMB as a reusable experimental robotics platform for controlled in-hive sensing and actuation, and as a compact, generalized successor to earlier task-specific honeybee robotic systems.

Figures & tables

Fig. 1: COMB in dance-signaling configuration
Fig. 2: COMB configured in comb-scanning mode. Top: in-hive deployment in front of a two-frame observation hive. Bottom: front-view CAD render.
Fig. 3: Movable Access Window (MAW) inserted with dance-signal bee module
Fig. 4: Electronic Wing Actuator separated from the permanent magnet, being used to provide shaking signals at the Nieh lab at UC San Diego
Fig. 5: (a) Electronic Wing PCB, (b) The bee-dummy with the flapping wing
Fig. 6: Tracked bee-dummy trajectory during waggle execution
Fig. 7: Trajectory tracking over five runs: (a) mean executed path in x and y, (b) tracking error decomposition.
Fig. 8: Vertical comb image constructed from seven image vertical pass
Fig. 9: Wing-actuator frequency analysis (a) 13 Hz (b) 28 Hz.
Fig. 10: Bee dummy and flapper fixed to the comb for hive-scent acquisition
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