Imagine, you are on an overland road trip in winter and it is getting dark very early. While driving through the woods, you observe a pair of fluorescent eyes on the roadside and step on the brakes. Wildlife accidents are dangerous or even killing for animals as well as for car drivers. Wouldn’t it be great to have a kind of early warning on animals on road sides or even on animal crossing?
A solution could be provided by smart animal warning systems working with sensors installed on the roadside, capturing the presence of animals. After detection, a warning signal will be sent to a Smartphone App or Navigation System and maybe also to reflector post activating a flashing signal to warn approaching car drivers.
What is the benefit of doing this with NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT)? The main benefits are low device and maintenance costs as well as an extended coverage, enabling the installation of a cost-efficient and dense sensor system also in rural areas. Since the sensors just need to transfer data in event case, it reduces the power consumption and maintenance effort to a minimum.
NB-IoT warning systems on animals on roadsides or on animal crossing are still future visions, but might help some day to protect the life of both, humans and animals.