Smart Trap Camera for Wildlife Monitoring

Overview

Monitoring wildlife helps researchers to understand the behavior and health of species, which is crucial for conservation efforts. The biggest challenge for smart trap cameras is that a single camera can take thousands of images, but most of the pictures end up being caused by vegetation movement instead of animal movement. This results in draining of the batteries and causes the storage space on the camera to be filled with unwanted photos. Other challenges are that off-the-shelf camera traps are relatively expensive, subject to damage and loss in the field, and are not modular in design. Our smart trap camera provides a reduction in the number of triggers caused by vegetation, which leads to longer battery life and more storage space. It utilizes solar power to help extend the battery life further. It also has a compact, modular design allowing for easy replacement of broken parts. On top of addressing the common challenges of smart trap cameras, it has an easy-to-use Settings Configuration Application that also allows the settings to be adjusted through Bluetooth.

Community Benefit

Overall, the smart trap camera aims to facilitate efficient wildlife monitoring – ultimately our product impacts researchers in their effort to observe, record and understand the behavior and health of species in their natural environment. With a focus on efficiency and usability, our project capitalizes on the low price point of available and efficient technology, delivering a product comparable and more capable to those already on the market.

Team Members 

• Chelsea Hayes
• Jose Chavez
• Colin Peterson
• Evgenila Maksimo
• Eliizabeth Jijon

Sponsors

Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)