Aimed at finding a solution to rising human-animal conflict, which resulted in 98 human deaths in Kerala in 2023, two school students in Kerala have come out with an innovative system that uses Artificial Intelligence to prevent animals from intruding into human habitats and farmlands.
A Jayasurya and Shivani Shivakumar, tenth-standard students of Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad in Ernakulam, developed the system to end the inhumane practice of bursting crackers and using electric fencing to ward off animals.
“I started working on the concept during the summer vacation of eighth standard. I came across a lot of news reports on elephants suffering brutal injuries after getting trapped in barbed wires. As Shivani was also working on a similar concept as part of the school science club, my teacher asked us to jointly work on the project. We are really proud and happy that we could come out with a prototype which actually works in a real-life setting,” Jayasurya told “Open Digest.”
The system uses infrared cameras, strobe lights, and an ultrasonic wave generator. “The system, through an AI-integrated software and camera, identifies the intruding animal and sends a command to the ultrasonic wave generator to produce waves that could ward off the animal. Each animal has an ability to hear sound waves that are not detectable to human ears. Animals get irritated by certain frequencies of ultrasonic waves and stay away from them,” Jayasurya said.
To keep animals away from an acre of land, four cameras, including one rotating camera, are needed for the system to function effectively. The students have presented their project in the Young Innovators Programme organized by the Kerala Government.
“We are working on implementing the project in a farmland. We look forward to support from the Kerala Forest Department and Agriculture Department,” he added. Both Shivani and Jayasurya are planning to do further research on their product for launching it in the market to help farmers.
It’s not Kerala alone; the rest of the country has also been witnessing a spate of human-animal conflicts involving elephants, tigers, and wild boars. According to government data submitted in Parliament in 2022, over 1,500 people lost their lives in the country between 2019-2022 in elephant attacks, while 125 people were killed by tigers.
