Parallax can offer printed circuit board design and manufacturing services from Rocklin, California. This is an example with the Propeller 2 Multicore Microcontroller and Northern Arizona University.
Recently, we completed the TreeGuard project under contract with Northern Arizona University (NAU). Paul Flikkema attended our Propeller Live Forum to share the project, as shown in the video above. The best match for our design and/or manufacturing services are projects where the Propeller 1 or 2 Multicore Microcontrollers are used. In case you don’t have time to watch the TreeGuard video above, here are a few questions I asked the project lead:
What is the sensing method (and sensor) used to detect the grubs?
The sensing system uses a piezoelectric transducer that converts tiny audio and ultrasonic vibrations from insects chewing in wood into an electrical signal. This signal is then amplified and converted into digital data for analysis of the vibrations and detection/identification of the insect.
What kind of grub are they?
The ‘grubs’ are larvae of wood-boring insects such as bark beetles, pine Sawyer beetles, and emerald ash borers, as well as termites.
What’s the extent of the tree mortality affected by the grub, and what kind of trees?
Many trees have one or more tree-infesting insects that can harm tree health and kill trees. As one example, the mortality rate in ash trees for untreated ash borer infestations is 99.8%, and has killed millions of trees. The TreeGuard design will be used to locate wood-infesting insects in living, dying, cut, or dead trees and tree materials. We are primarily focusing on elm and locust trees, but all trees will be targeted.
How long will the project run for and what are the hopeful outcomes?
The grant was extended for one year and thus ends December 2026. We hope to continue to promote the device for use by land managers, foresters, APHIS (USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) inspectors, etc. We hope that this will be one of the tools landowners use to assess the presence of insects in trees and wood products.
Thank you for sharing, Paul and Richard!
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
