Robots in the wild
26 March 2024 | Read time: 2 minutes
Meet Chaz, Jamie, and Katerina, from our Biosecurity Technology Spearhead team as they trial their autonomous predator-seeking robot in the remote wilderness of Te Urewera. In this episode from our SfTI Innovation series, we see the importance of relationships between people in place and how that informs technology and transformational innovation.
SfTI's Biosecurity Technology Spearhead research project was launched in 2021 to develop new technology to support the Aotearoa-wide mission to eradicate NZ predators and pests by 2050.
In collaboration with New Zealand’s Biological Heritage | Ngā Koiora Tuku Iho National Science Challenge, SFTI’s Biosecurity Technology Spearhead Research Project was developed through a collaborative Mission Design process with a multidisciplinary group of experts to identify a focus for the research with the highest potential impact for Aotearoa.
This process identified a diverse team of researchers to work together to develop smart networked sensors using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics to detect the last predators in New Zealand’s vast landscapes.
As we near the end of the project, the team has been trialing their technology in some of the most challenging environents Aotearoa has to offer, Te Urewera. In this short video you can meet the team and the technology and learn how connect to people and place has informed the innovation.