FORSAID partners demonstrate the Entomoscope for more efficient forest pest identification

The first video demonstration of a technology researched within FORSAID was released, zeroing in on the Entomoscope, a photomicroscope for capturing small objects in great detail. Last year, project partners from the University of Padua (UNIPD) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) showcased how the device may be used to train artificial intelligence models with standardised photographs of insects. Specifically, the researchers afforded attention to two of FORSAID's target species, the bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) and the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). The intention behind this is for the training to enable greater selectivity in the automated identification of forest pests, thus increasing the efficiency of recognition and sorting on the ground. The demonstration was recorded during the 2025 annual consortium meeting and is now available on the FORSAID YouTube channel.

More specifically, Davide Rassati (UNIPD), Christian Pylatiuk (KIT) and Valerio Caruso (UNIPD) laid out the background behind the endeavour - the threat posed by the Agrilus species as well as the issue of diminished efficiency apparent in current identification solutions. Subsequently, a practical presentation of the Entomoscope's capabilities was made by Hossein Shirali (KIT), who walked the audience through the set-up and execution of inputting a sample for analysis.

You can watch the full video below. More on the Entomoscope and the research undertaken on it within FORSAID can be found in this newly released scientific publication.