If the sound of a chainsaw occurs in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon, authorities could be alerted in real time by “Curupira,” a device with sound sensors and artificial intelligence.
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At first glance, this small box, developed by the State University of Amazonas (Northwest), looks like a simple Wi-Fi router attached to a tree trunk.
But what makes it the “guardian” of the largest tropical forest on Earth is the fact that it is equipped with sensors equipped with “artificial intelligence.”
A computer program that allows them to “detect the sound of a chainsaw, a tractor or anything that could cause damage in the jungle,” explains Thiago Almeida, project manager, to AFP.
The device was named “Curupira” in homage to a creature from indigenous mythology known for its cunning to escape hunters.
Network installation
The aim is “to complement other existing monitoring systems”, such as monitoring deforestation via satellite images, says Raimundo Cláudio Souza Gomes, coordinator of the Embedded Systems Laboratory (LSE/HUB) at the University of Amazonas.
A big advantage of sound sensors with artificial intelligence: They warn in real time “when the damage occurs,” while satellites identify areas that have already been deforested.
During the testing phase, funded by local company Hana Electronics, ten prototypes were placed around Manaus, the capital of the Amazon, in areas where conditions resemble those in the most remote jungles.
Each box demonstrated its ability to transmit information to others within a one-kilometer radius thanks to a wireless connection that does not use the Internet.
By placing them at strategic points to create a network of “Curupira” in the jungle, they can transmit their information via satellite.
Scientists are now seeking funding to produce 100 to 1,000 new boxes and install them on site.
Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. Under the mandate of his right-wing extremist predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, it had increased by an average of 75% per year compared to the previous decade.
In the Amazon, “environmental crimes take place in the dark. If we bring everything to light, it will become more complicated,” says the laboratory coordinator.
autonomy
Surveillance systems using sound sensors have already been implemented in countries such as Canada or the United States, but they generally use very expensive means of communication, sometimes with large antennas, which would be undesirable in the limited areas of the country. Tropical jungle, explains Mr. Gomes.
The production costs of each box in the “Curupira” project are 200 to 300 euros. And these devices require little energy to operate, “with conventional batteries that have a year of autonomy,” he explains.
Solutions are being considered to give the boxes even greater autonomy, with energy obtained “from the swinging branches of the tree, temperature differences or the acidity of the sap”.