The Internet of Animals

Researchers developed a low-cost animal tracker using Bluetooth radios and existing mobile device networks — much like AirTags for animals.

Nick Bild
4 months agoSensors
This low-cost animal tracker leverages existing mobile phone networks (📷: D. Farine et al.)

The well-being of humans is intertwined with the world around us, and is deeply connected to the health of the environment and the stability of ecosystems. For this reason, conservationists and animal behaviorists are keenly interested in tracking the movements of many species of animals. Anomalous behavior or changes in the typical range inhabited by an animal can be an early warning sign that something has gone amiss. Our best hope for addressing these concerns before they become a big problem starts with collecting the raw data that makes us aware of the presence of unusual circumstances.

While many modern technologies exist that can provide us with this type of information, they are not all especially well-suited for use with animals. Consider GPS receivers, for example. They certainly are able to provide very high-resolution positioning data, however they tend to be expensive and consume a lot of energy during operation. These factors limit both the number of animals that can be tracked and the duration that they can be observed for. Lower-power passive tracking technologies also exist, but they require that animals be within close range of specialized detectors, which limits the usefulness of the system.

Researchers at the University of Zurich and the Australian National University have recently demonstrated a new system that can overcome many of the issues faced when using present tracking devices. They have essentially created inexpensive Apple AirTags for animals — the devices transmit Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that can be picked up by not only specialized receivers, but by virtually any mobile phone within range. This architecture enables conservationists to place $7 tags on as many animals as necessary, then leverage the existing global network of mobile devices as receivers.

The team’s BLE beacon is centered around a Nordic Semiconductor nRF5 chip. A public/private key pair was generated that is suitable for use with Apple's Find My network. Firmware, containing these keys, was then flashed to the chip along with code that enabled it to act as a BLE beacon. The device was fitted into a custom 3D-printed case to protect it from water and other environmental hazards.

In locations with medium to high population densities, the Find My network will generally be sufficient to capture frequent data points on animal movements. But for more remote applications, it is also possible to supplement the network with low-cost receivers built around Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or ESP32 development boards.

To test their system, the team placed a number of tracking devices throughout the city of Canberra in Australia. They wanted to assess not only the accuracy of absolute position measurements, but also relative positions between beacons — relative positioning is crucial in understanding interactions between animals. Accuracies were not nearly as good as GPS, with errors of about 100 meters being common. It was also noted that the presence of main roads tended to decrease accuracy. Relative positioning also left something to be desired, but was much better away from main roads.

This new approach does overcome some issues seen with existing tracking systems, but comes with a new set of problems of its own. It is certainly not right for every situation, but when the conditions are right, it could provide conservationists with the raw data that they need.

Nick Bild
R&D, creativity, and building the next big thing you never knew you wanted are my specialties.
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