Hivora
AI-powered detection and monitoring of the Asian hornet – from the camera on the bait trap to the selective smart trap.
www.mariolukas.de
Mario Lukas
Senior Systems Architect by profession. Maker by nature.
I build software, AI systems and hardware – from web and mobile apps to edge AI, embedded devices and the occasional slightly over-the-top weekend project.
Selected Projects
Products, open-source projects and side projects I'm working on or have worked on.
HornetLog
App for reporting and monitoring the Asian hornet – with AI detection, live map and alerts.
Bluetti → MQTT
ESP32 bridge that reads BLUETTI power stations via Bluetooth and brings the values into your smart home locally via MQTT – no cloud required.
KITT Voice Box
A replica of the Knight Rider voice modulator that listens and answers in KITT's voice – offline on a Jetson Orin Nano, with an LED panel and a cloned voice.
Events
Where to meet me next – events, talks and workshops.
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Multi-day
Maker Faire Luxemburg 2026
What I build
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Software Engineering
Web, mobile and desktop applications – cleanly built, easy to maintain and with an eye for detail.
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AI & Edge AI
Local AI, computer vision and language models – running right on the hardware instead of in the cloud.
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Embedded & IoT
Microcontrollers, sensors and connected devices – from the ESP32 to the smart home.
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Maker & 3D Printing
Electronics, 3D printing and prototypes – from the first breadboard to the finished enclosure.
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Cloud, Linux & Homelab
Linux servers, containers and cloud systems – and a homelab where everything gets tried out before it goes into production.
From the blog
KITT Voice Box: a voice modulator that really listens
A replica of the Knight Rider voice modulator that listens, understands and answers in KITT's voice – offline on a Jetson Orin Nano. How the box is built and how the technology behind it works together.
Hivora Sense: From Bait Trap to Smart Monitoring Station
The problem: what happens when nobody is watching? Anyone who deals with the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) knows the problem. You stand at the…
Reporting the Asian Hornet: An App for Detecting and Monitoring Vespa velutina
The Asian hornet is spreading further and further across Europe. That makes it all the more important to report sightings early. But how can…
Maker Lab
Not everything becomes a product. This is where experiments, tinkering, hardware mods and prototypes end up – finished or not.
KITT Voice Box
A replica of the Knight Rider voice modulator that listens and answers in KITT's voice – offline on…
Kinect 3D Scanner (Proof of Concept)
Prototype of a mobile, standalone 3D scanner: Kinect, Raspberry Pi 2 and a display on a 3D-printed handle.
Make Light Contest 2014: LUMICATOR
This article is long overdue, but better late than never. Hannover Messe is coming up, and with it…
IKEA Hacking: LED Arcade Table
At the Maker Faire in Hannover, Christoph and I had the LED arcade tables we built with us.…
Books & Publications
Books, technical articles and talks.
Das 3D-Scanner-Praxisbuch
Grundlagen, Nachbau, Nachbearbeitung
- Publisher
- dpunkt.verlag
- ISBN
- 978-3-86490-640-4
Das Calliope-Buch
Spannende Bastelprojekte mit dem Calliope-Mini-Board
- Publisher
- dpunkt.verlag
- ISBN
- 978-3-86490-468-4
Licht & Spaß
Elektronisches Basteln mit Licht
Written together with five other authors: 18 projects that introduce beginners to Arduino and LEDs step by step.
- Publisher
- O'Reilly
- ASIN
- B06XDTT6TC
Article
- 2016 Open externally (new tab)
- 2016 Open externally (new tab)
- 2016
Talk
- 2026 Open externally (new tab)
- 2020
- 2020
Contests & Awards
Contests in which my projects won awards or made it far.
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2014
Open report (new tab)
Winner – title defended
Make Light 2014 – “Connected Photonics”
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2014
Open report (new tab)
Semifinalist (Top 50)
Hackaday Prize 2014
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2013
Open report (new tab)
1st place
Make Light 2013 – “Intelligent Light”
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2011
Open report (new tab)
2nd prize, “Originality”
c’t contest “Mach flott den Schrott”
About me
About
I build things because I want to understand how they work. I studied computer science at RWTH Aachen University and work as a Senior Systems Architect – most recently in home automation (smart home, KNX) and in market research. In my spare time, anything that can be soldered, printed or programmed ends up on my workbench: from open-source hardware like the FabScan 3D scanner to AI on small hardware.
On the workbench