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Deployment of a single LepiSense next to a field as part of a larger network of devices to obtain a biodiversity baseline for a collection of farms prior to restoration.

Insects are of interest for ecologists who study biodiversity and ecosystem health and the impact of external factors such as farming, climate change, and land management on those. This is because insects are a good indicator for biodiversity since they respond quickly to environmental changes, provide large sample sizes, and play an important role for pollination and in the food chain.

LepiSense features robust lighting to attract insects, a high-resolution camera, and high-capacity data storage. It is powered by a rechargeable battery and solar panel for extended field deployments, but also light-weight enough for frequent relocation. It is specifically designed to make automated monitoring of nocturnal insects scalable by drastically lowering the costs and maximally simplifying the deployment and management of networks of devices. More than 100 prototypes are used around the world – from rooftops in Singapore via agricultural sites in the UK to remote islands in the Caribbean.

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Exemplary picture taken by a LepiSense July 2025.

Technical details (hardware and software):

  • Processing unit (e.g. Raspberry Pi, microcontroller, etc);  
  • Camera unit and basic specs, for instance: resolution, framerate, focus manual/auto, etc; , 
  • How the device is powered and power consumption (e.g. “can run for x minutes when powered with battery only, evtl. solar powered”; or ” runs on the power grid”); 
  • Extra components (e.g. UV lights etc)
  • Are images processed on-device (i.e. edge processing) OR device only collects images, processing off-site?
  • Price range if possible
  • Processor: Custom printed circuit board designed around low-power ATMSAMD21J microcontroller with ARM Cortex-M0+ core (32 KB RAM, 256 KB flash memory, 48 MHz CPU speed)
  • Camera: Arducam Mega 5 MP camera with autofocus (2592 x 1944, 245 ppi)
  • Power supply: 20 W mono-crystalline solar panel
  • Battery charger: Custom printed circuit board with 3.6 A battery charger (maximum power-point tracking)
  • Battery: In-built 100 Wh lithium-ion battery
  • Power consumption: 0.003 W sleep mode (when not taking pictures or communicating), 4 W on mode (when attracting insects), 8 W picture mode (when activating flashlight to take picture)
  • Schedule: Every 2nd night from 1 h after (civil) dusk to 1 h before (civil) dawn
  • Runtime: Unlimited in/near the tropics, spring-autumn in the northern/southern hemisphere
  • Attractant: custom printed-circuit board with LEDs emitting UV, blue, and white light
  • Storage: 32 GB microSD card (40,000 – 90,000 pictures)
  • Material costs: £200 (€230) in a batch of 20 or more (including solar panel, mount, batteries, microSD card, and 2G/4G cellular data)

Contact:
Jonas Beuchert
https://github.com/JonasBchrt, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-beuchert
Developed at: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Trial website: https://nerc-ceh.github.io/lepisense-website/
Support forum: https://github.com/NERC-CEH/lepisense-website/discussions/categories/q-a?discussions_q=
Publication (prototype): https://prosquared.org/2024-LSS-Papers/2024-LSS-Beuchert-paper.pdf