RENUQUBE
Updated: Sep 29
ORIGIN - Where does the RENUQUBE come from?
RENUQUBE is a derivative of the RENUBOX. With the RENUBOX Hermetia, the principle was applied as a use case for the first time: the environmental conditions relevant to the life cycle of the Black Soldier Fly (temperature, humidity, CO₂, light) were translated into technical parameters and captured and controlled using sensors, microcontrollers, control loops, and actuators. The data is digital and available via the internet, and the box runs stably across multiple generations of insects.
This demonstrated that the principle is not tied to the fly. Requirements from one domain can be translated into technology and subsequently into actions. RENUQUBE transfers this approach from a single use case to a universal, modular system.
QUESTION - What problem does the RENUQUBE solve?
Can machines and environmental situations be captured with an expandable hardware foundation and the data translated into concrete actions for the customer? RENUQUBE answers this with a three-part system: the modular IoT cube, data evaluation, and implementation support. Behind this are several tasks: clarifying the customer's core question, determining relevant measured variables, configuring sensors, evaluating data, deriving measures, and verifying their effect.
With RENUQUBE, the process from initial question to measurement to action occurs in one seamless workflow.
OBSERVATION - What matters most?
Machines and environments cannot be described by a single variable. For example, an impact only reveals itself through the interplay of acceleration patterns, position, and time. In addition, there are practical requirements: the device must be retrofittable without interfering with existing control systems, power supplies vary depending on the deployment, and wireless coverage or positioning are not guaranteed everywhere.
Even more importantly: no single device solves a problem on its own. Data only becomes effective when it is understood in operation and translated into actions. Technology, processes, and people are interconnected. An accident hotspot might be due to route layouts, lighting, time pressure, or training, not just an individual driver.
This is a systemic problem: How do you capture a system without reducing it to a single variable, and how do you move from data to real-world effect? RENUQUBE answers this with a standardized core, pluggable modules, and guidance for the customer throughout the entire lifecycle loop.
DATA - What is measured?
Standard in the Core Module: Acceleration and angular rate (IMU), temperature, position, and time (GNSS).
Optional: A high-g sensor (e.g., ADXL375, up to $\pm 200\text{ g}$) for heavy impacts.
Via Expansion Modules: Vibration, climate and air quality, current consumption, vehicle and machine data via CAN or RS485, digital inputs, and indoor BLE or UWB positioning.
Customer Context Data: Provided the customer supplies it, shift schedules, maintenance logs, or order data flow into the evaluation.
Events are transmitted to a server with a timestamp, position, and device ID via Wi-Fi, or optionally via cellular networks. A local ring buffer secures data during connectivity outages.
DATA AVAILABILITY
Development and testing have yielded [add scope of measurement series and evaluations]. On the website, we display only a selection relevant for understanding. Further information is available upon request.
HYPOTHESIS - What is the core idea?
If a standard core (ESP32-S3 with IMU, temperature, and GNSS) is combined with a defined bus interface and automatic module recognition, a custom capture system can be configured from the same building block for any use case. If deployment and evaluation are additionally managed as a closed-loop control system around the customer, measured values turn into insights, insights into measures, and measures into measurable effects. A machine or environmental situation becomes a variable that can be captured, understood, and targeted for improvement.
EXPERIMENT - How does the RENUQUBE work?
The system connects:
Sensors → ESP32-S3 → Preprocessing & Event Detection → Wi-Fi or Cellular →
Server & Database → Evaluation → Action.
Actuators such as relays, buzzers, or LEDs provide feedback actions.
Assembly
Core Module: Always positioned at the top to give GNSS and wireless modules an unobstructed view.
Stack Bus: The connector carries power supply, $I^2C$, SPI with a dedicated chip-select line per slot, UART, CAN signals, interrupt, and reset. Each module houses an EEPROM containing type, version, and calibration data, enabling automatic detection across four available slots.
Power Module: Wide-range DC/DC converter with reverse polarity and overvoltage protection, plus buffer storage.
Expansion Modules: Cellular, CAN/RS485, digital inputs and outputs, climate, current, positioning, and SD card.
Housing
The circuit boards measure approximately 60 x 60 mm, with a footprint of roughly 70 x 70 mm and a height of about 15 mm per level. Two expansion modules yield a cube with an edge length of around 75 mm.
Each module resides in its own ring. The rings seal via O-rings and are held together by four M3 tie rods. Ring variants include closed, M12 socket, climate membrane, and light guide configurations. The cover consists of radio-transparent polycarbonate.
Verification
Lab Functional Tests: Communication between sensors and microcontroller, measured values verified against references, and axis calibration via the gravity vector.
Field Tests: Followed by real-world operational testing.
SERVICE - How does the customer move from data to action?
We do not just deliver the RENUQUBE; we accompany the customer through a continuous improvement cycle:
Understand: Together, we clarify the problem, goals, KPIs, data availability, and stakeholders, including data protection and works council requirements.
Configure: We select the modules, define thresholds and events, and calibrate the system to the specific application.
Deploy: We install the devices and commission them. If required, we integrate them with existing IT infrastructure and data sources.
Evaluate: We process the data, identify patterns and root causes, and present them in dashboards and reports.
Act: We translate insights into concrete measures, alerts, and workflows. We train the team and support implementation.
Verify Impact: We measure whether the actions yield results and fine-tune as needed. The loop then begins anew.
Example from intralogistics: RENUQUBE detects impacts alongside location data. Evaluation reveals an accident hotspot at an intersection. The corrective measure alters the travel route and signage. Subsequent measurements confirm whether incidents decrease.
RESULT - What does the RENUQUBE deliver?
RENUQUBE captures machine and environmental data reliably and in a standardized manner, allowing expansion with sensors and actuators without soldering. Data is stored centrally in a database. Based on this, the customer receives actionable recommendations and can track their impact. The specific application is determined by module selection, firmware, and evaluation, rather than new hardware development.
Specifications: [Add IP rating and certifications after testing]
Data Privacy: Data privacy is integrated into the concept. Evaluation can be strictly machine- or vehicle-related. Person-related evaluations occur only in compliance with GDPR and works council agreements.
APPLICATION - What is the RENUQUBE used for?
The use case is intentionally left open. RENUQUBE transforms a machine or environment into an accessible technical data source. Actions arise from this data, including:
Forklifts & Mobile Machinery: Impact/accident detection with location, operating hours, and capacity utilization. Action: Eliminate accident hotspots and schedule maintenance based on actual usage.
Construction Machinery & Commercial Vehicles: Positioning, motion alerts, and usage data via CAN. Action: Optimize equipment deployment and protect against theft.
Condition Monitoring of Systems: Vibration, temperature, and current consumption on motors, pumps, and fans. Action: Schedule predictive maintenance and prevent downtime.
Transport Monitoring: Shock, temperature, and humidity with positioning (e.g., cold chain). Action: Identify and resolve causes of damage during transit.
Environmental & Room Monitoring: Climate, air quality, and noise levels in halls, warehouses, and greenhouses. Action: Control ventilation and HVAC systems based on demand.
Controlled Biological Environments: Regulation of temperature, humidity, CO2, and light (e.g., in breeding facilities). Action: Ensure reproducible breeding processes.
Energy & Infrastructure: Monitoring solar installations, control cabinets, and charging stations. Action: Detect faults early to secure yield and availability.
Education & Research: Experimentation with sensors, actuators, and microcontrollers using standardized, comparable data.
KNOWLEDGE - What lies behind it?
The cube itself is not the core story. RENUQUBE demonstrates how requirements from one domain (the machine or environment) can be translated into another (technology) and ultimately into meaningful action.
Movement . Position . Temperature . Vibration . Climate . Sensors .
Thresholds . Event Detection . Data . Insights . Actions
This forms a control loop through which the customer continuously understands and improves their system.
TRANSFER - Where else can this principle be applied?
The principle is restricted neither to vehicles nor to a single industry. Wherever a problem can be described through measurable variables and data is meant to lead to concrete actions, the exact same modular kit and accompanying support can be deployed. Collaboration with companies, research institutes, and educational institutions on the further development of modules and evaluation methods is also conceivable.
Two notes on formulation: I have written the text in the present tense, but have not invented any measurement results, regulatory approvals, or customer references. Square brackets are provided for filling these in. The dimensions and the description of the ring seal stem from my concept and must match the actual design. I have removed the open points from the previous draft (connectors, GNSS successor module, CE testing) from the text. They still need to be technically clarified before you refer to the product as finished.
Vielleicht beginnt das nächste Problem mit einer Frage.
Nicht jedes Problem ist bereits vollständig beschrieben. Und nicht für jedes existiert schon eine offensichtliche Lösung.
Wenn Sie vor einer technischen oder systemischen Fragestellung stehen, bei der genau das der Fall ist, kann sie ein interessanter Ausgangspunkt sein.
