Nordic laser tech to save bees wins at Hello Tomorrow in Paris

Danish startup FaunaPhotonics won the Agro track prize and 15.000 euro at Hello Tomorrow Global Summit in Paris this Friday. 4500 applicants, 80 finalists, 12 tracks. Hello Tomorrow Global Summit concluded this Friday with the Global Challenge Grand Finale – and a Danish success; FaunaPhotonics won the Agro track and 15.000 euro.

FaunaPhotonics, an Accelerace alumni, has developed a laser, a system known as lidar, which works like radar but with laser instead of radio waves. With it, they monitor insects to ensure sustainable crop utilisation and to improve pest control and biodiversity.

“By bringing a new technology to the market, we will fill gaps in knowledge of insect populations, leading to more sustainable agricultural production and improvements in insect control. On our journey, we will make insect monitoring and risk assessment easier for our customers,” the company state on their website.

Monitoring for better farming and disease control

Hello Tomorrow is a worldwide deep tech conference created in 2013. This year’s Global Challenge was the 5th edition showcasing 80 startups within Aeronautics, Data & AI, Digital Health, Energy, Food, Agriculture & Environment, Global Health, Industrial Biotech, Industry 4.0, New Materials, New Mobility, New Space, and Wellbeing. FaunaPhotonics’ solution can by knowing the wingbeat frequency detect if the insects are pests or pollinators and thereby only target the non-beneficial insects. The technology is not only aimed at farmers, but can also be used in monitoring insects that spread disease like malaria, as a corporate and scientific R&D tool, and in monitoring sea lice used in fish farms. FaunaPhotonics was founded in 2014 where the optical hardware concept was spun out of Lund University Laser Center.    ]]>