Bees Microcever brings to learn offline to remote areas

When? Mark allen Sparber Of Arizona State University Education for Humanity Initiative A refugee arrives at the camp Thai,Myanmar The limit, the visual was distinctive to many crisis areas: no internet, incredible power and no resources. But within a few minutes, he and the local NGO partners were able to install a full-characteristics digital classroom using a solar panel and nothing more than a yellow device.

Only basic smartphones and old tablets equipped with old tablets were reaching the content Honey beeA Swiss-made, light, standalone microcever that can convert any location to an offline-first, pop-up digital classroom.

While international initiatives like Giga try to connect every school to the Internet, it is difficult to predict the timeline and cost. And yet, according to UNESCOGlobal Education Monitoring Report, keeping schools online in low -income countries can run online One billion dollars a day,

Bees, established by Vincent Vidamar And Sergio Estupineen His Ph.D. study on Department of educational technology of University of genevaTrys to bridge the connectivity gap through its easily deployed device.

There is one at the origin of the bee box Raspberry Pie -based Microcever, is engaged in an airy 3D-crushed thermorsist plastic shell. Customized for passive and active cooling, weather flexibility and area repair, it can withstand heat in dry climate like Jordan and North Kenya.

It is often deployed in remote areas with its equipment, where repair options are low, bee supplies 3D-print-friendly STL And G code Files for partners, enable them to create replacement parts on 3D printers. “We have seen that they have to print replacement parts within days using recycled plastic filament in Kenya and Lebanon,” as Estupinon.

The device consumes less than 10 watts of electricity, making it easier to run for more than 12 hours at an inexpensive 20,000. Miliam-hour (MAH) Power BankAlternatively, bee compact can run on solar panels, where the battery backup can provide for two hours a day or up to two hours a night. “This type of energy efficiency is necessary,” says Marcel Hartel GIZGerman development agency that uses bees Indonesia As a Digital teaching platformAccessible Farmers in remote areas for training“We work where the phone charging is also a challenge,” they say.

The device runs on a custom Linux distribution And open-source software stack. Its Wi-Fi hotspot has a 40-meter range, providing enough coverage for two adjacent classes or a small courtyard. More than 40 learners can connect together using their smartphones, tablets, or laptops, without an app or internet access. The bee interface is browser-based.

However, the yellow box is not to replace the Internet. It is designed to complement it using the bandwidth available for syncing when available through 3G or 4G connections.

Although in many regional areas, 3G/4G connectivity is present, but is critical. Mobile network speed cap suffers from high data costs and crowds. Streaming educational materials or relying on cloud platforms becomes impractical. But satellite-based internet connectivity, including emerging Leo satellite providers such as Starlink, still offer the opportunity to download and upload materials on the yellow box.

The replacement part of the bee’s replacement part 3D design files can be used remotely to repair the rugged e-learning box of the outfit, using only a screwdriver and a 3D printer. Honey bee

Offline moodle for e-learning

Bee hosted e-learning tools for teachers and students, offered an offline Moodle Example- An open-source learning management system. Via moodle can use teachers Quarrelsome Package and H5P moduleTechnical standards are usually used to package and distribute e-learning materials.

“The bee is designed to interfere with the existing training platforms,” ​​says Estupinen. “We sink the learner progress, material updates and analytics without any organization already working.”

The bee also comes with Open academic resources (OR),Involved Offline wikipedia, Khan Academy Video in many languages, and curated instrumental content. “We don’t just want to distribute the material,” Estupinen says, “but also create an associate, attractive learning environment.”

Before turning to the bee, some organizations attempted to create their own offline learning platforms or worked with third -party developers.

Some of them ignored realities such as extreme heat, power outage, and near-zero internet bandwidth-while others tried solutions that essentially filed libraries as a learning platform.

“Most standalone systems do not support remote updates or syncing of learned data and analytics,” Spber says. “He gave PDF, not real learning experiences that include interactive exercises, evaluation, response, or anything.”

Additionally, many systems lacked permanent maintenance strategies, and the equipment was broken into the field position. “The technique could have looked smooth, but when things failed, there was no repair plan,” Estupinen says. “We designed the bee so that even nonspecialist users could fix things with a screwdriver and a local 3D printer.”

Bikki runs its own production line using a 3D printer farm in Geneva, capable of producing 30 custom units per day. But it does not make only hardware. It also provides training, directive design support and ongoing technical support. “The actual challenge is not just getting technology in the field, keeping it on,” says Estupinen.

Next Frontier: Offline AI

Future plans include integrating the small language model (SLM) in the box directly. A light AI can automate tasks such as grading, marking conceptual errors, or supporting teachers with local text plans.

“Offline AI is the next major step,” says Estupinen. “It lets us bring intelligent support for teachers who may be isolated, undertaking, or overwhelmed.”

The bee has participated with more than 40 organizations in about 30 countries. Founded five years ago, it is now a team of seven. The company recently joined UNESCO’s global education alliance With Coursra, GoogleAnd MicrosoftEven though bee is used mainly in a low-resources environment, its offline-first design is now drawing interest in broader contexts.

In France and Switzerland, secondary schools have started using bee equipment to give digital access to students without completely exposing them on the Internet during classroom. Teachers use them for external projects, such as biology fieldwork, allows students to share photos and notes on a local network. “The system is also believed to be safe, offline learning in improvement features, and companies are looking for their ability for training in isolated, privacy-sensitive settings,” says Biki Cofounder Vidamar says.