Native to Australia, the Koala bear has become a beloved Aussie national symbol. The protection and care of these creatures supports 30,000 jobs and has impacted an estimated economic value of $3.2 billion. Yet still, almost 90% of its population has been decimated in the last 10 years. This has rightly been a cause for global concern. It is a huge relief to the Australian nation that a combination of drone technology and AI is putting an end to this devastation.

One of the key factors in the preservation of these marsupials is the tracking and identification of the current population. However, given the nature of their habitats ranging from coastal islands to mostly tall eucalyptus forests and woodlands this can prove difficult for humans to easily access. Scientists are using drones to give some much needed assistance. By integrating a heat-sensing camera within a drone and coupling this with a machine learning model to analyze the footage captured, the scientists are presented with a solution to overcoming this barrier. This is made possible by tracking the Koala bear”s unique heat signature. The drone is able to venture out into areas where humans can’t to gather the necessary information, and safely return to a lab. Once in the lab the data can be analyzed allowing the team to correctly monitor a population.

This innovative project is being carried out by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Similarly, QUT preformed another project to track sea cows. After having great success with the sea cow population, QUT is very optimistic as to how this can aid in the preservation of Koalas. The drones have reported an 86% level of accuracy in finding the Koala bears in a given area. Compared to a 70% success rate for a human spotter, the innovation is not only better but also delivers within a few hours what it would take a human a whole day to achieve.

Beyond the comparatively higher pace of delivering accurate results, the use of drones also allows coverage of a wider geographical area than is humanly possible. This is in addition to offering access to habitats that would otherwise be rendered inaccessible by foot or vehicle. Indeed, it is absolutely fascinating how AI can be combined with existing technologies such as heat-sensing cameras to deliver unique and life-changing solutions.