Elephants are a keystone species of their ecosystem. Their presence or absence considerably impacts the construction of their atmosphere.
They graze and knock down timber, decreasing forest cover and creating habitats for small vegetation and animals to outlive within the ecosystem. They dig up riverbeds and water holes, which assist different species survive throughout lengthy durations of drought. If elephants went extinct, different plant and animal species would die off, and ecosystems can be lots much less numerous.
Elephants had been the engineers of the planet, shaping the lay of the land earlier than the speedy enlargement of cities, farms, and infrastructure. In the present day, battle with people is the second-greatest risk to the existence of those creatures. Deforestation and concrete enlargement carry elephants into frequent contact with individuals, and these encounters seldom finish properly.
In 2023, no less than 488 elephants died in Sri Lanka throughout human-elephant battle incidents. Elephants have a protracted gestation interval, and a wholesome inhabitants solely grows by about 5% per 12 months. Populations can subsequently take many years to get better from losses attributable to poaching and battle.
The human loss of life toll can also be excessive, particularly alongside elephant corridors, i.e., the migration routes they move searching for water, forage, and mates. City enlargement has elevated the variety of elephant corridors that intersect with roads, villages, and farmlands. In February 2025, a 77-year-old German vacationer was killed by a wild elephant on a ghat street within the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. Whereas different motorists stopped a great way off, the vacationer approached the animal and didn’t apprehend the hazard till it was too late.
EleTect is an award-winning good elephant detection system by Abhinav Krishna and Amritha M., that mitigates battle utilizing a community of linked sensor nodes and elephants’ worst sound, buzzing bees. Abhinav and his colleague created a brand new model of their venture, Eletect 1.5, to guard elephants and folks on routes that intersect with elephant corridors and crossings.
EleTect 1.5’s interactive digital signage system shows real-time, automated alerts that warn motorists each time elephants are transferring up forward on the street. The system detects the elephants, alerts any close by motorists, and deters the elephants with a buzzing bee sound.
The solar-powered system has two nodes, a detection unit and a warning unit. The detection unit (EleTect node) identifies the elephant’s vocalizations and look, and triggers the deterrent sound (when autos are close by). The signage node is positioned 500m earlier than elephant crossings. It detects autos by way of an onboard digicam, shows a flashing warning to motorists, and tells the opposite node that autos are current.
The signage node integrates a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 microcontroller, a Grove LoRa-E5 module, a Raspberry Pi Digicam, a photo voltaic charging modules, a battery pack, and an LED panel. The enclosure was comprised of an acrylic sheet for sturdiness and climate resistance.
Abhinav says the inspiration for the revised venture got here from frequent human – elephant conflicts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, significantly the tragic incident that led to the German vacationer’s loss of life. The key problem was making the system rugged, autonomous, and inexpensive for real-world use. He says reaching a stability between reliability and low value was not a straightforward activity.
He notes that the venture is sort of prepared for deployment. The detection node, communication system, and warning node have been validated in semi-field trials. The plan is to create a centralized monitoring platform that shows elephant sightings and conflicts throughout a number of places on Google Maps.
EleTect 2.0, the venture’s subsequent improve, is a piece in progress, in keeping with Abhinav. It’s a extra rugged and field-ready model designed for long-term deployment in elephant corridors. Manufacturing is underway, and there are plans for pilot installations in collaboration with forest and wildlife departments.
Elephant corridors are important to their survival and peaceable coexistence with us. Highway warning indicators will go a good distance in mitigating collisions and wildlife conflicts. Tasks like IFAW’s Room to Roam are additionally creating secure passages for elephants to maneuver between residence ranges.
The technical particulars of the EleTect 1.5 system may be discovered on the venture web page.
