Monitoring wild animals in Switzerland is becoming increasingly difficult for game wardens due to rapid population growth. Their methods are outdated and no longer sufficient to ensure comprehensive monitoring.
One solution could be Synature’s Smart Mic. Four students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a device that uses artificial intelligence to locate the howling of wolves with an accuracy of 500 meters.
Legend:
This is what the Smart Mic looks like: A microphone is attached to the bottom of the device, which records all noises at night. A minicomputer is installed in the box, as well as GPS and mobile phone reception. The cable leads to an external battery.
SRF
The device runs at night and records all sounds in the environment. The Smart Mic sends the data to a server via the mobile network. The artificial intelligence then distinguishes between wolf howls and other noises. Audio data without wolf howlers will be deleted after evaluation.
Test run in the Glarner mountains
How does artificial intelligence work?
The audio data is converted into images and then evaluated by the artificial intelligence. Noah Schmid, Technical Director of Synature, explains how the AI works: “In a first step, it is used on a large data set and learns there how to distinguish wolf howlers from non-wolf howlers. After that, it is applied to the collected data.”
This is how the wolf howls
It is easier for the AI to evaluate images than audio data – differences are easier to recognize. For example, the AI has trouble distinguishing the audios of aircraft noise and wolf howls.
The device increases the efficiency of game wardens
Marco Banzer, game warden in the canton of Glarus, sees the solution in the device: “All other methods are time-consuming: for example, tagging a wolf or narrowing it down with almost 100 camera traps – that’s difficult.” The device saves a lot of time. And you can cover a much larger area with it than with camera traps, says Banzer.
Compared to the other monitoring methods, the Smart Mic is certainly the cheapest option
The production of the prototype cost 450 francs. Some improvements and the switch to industrial production are intended to reduce costs. How much the device will cost afterwards is unclear. “But what we can already say is that it is definitely the cheapest compared to the other monitoring methods,” says young entrepreneur Olivier Stähli.
Monitoring beyond the Swiss border
In the spring, the team tested their Smart Mic for elephants in South Africa – with success according to Stähli. In November we are going to India. There it is checked whether the technology can also be used for the tiger, the leopard and the wild dog.
The wolf is just the beginning
