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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / A novel kinetic energy harvesting system for lifetime deploy...
PloS one2023; 18(5); e0285930; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285930

A novel kinetic energy harvesting system for lifetime deployments of wildlife trackers.

Abstract: Wildlife tracking devices are key in obtaining detailed insights on movement, animal migration, natal dispersal, home-ranges, resource use and group dynamics of free-roaming animals. Despite a wide use of such devices, tracking for entire lifetimes is still a considerable challenge for most animals, mainly due to technological limitations. Deploying battery powered wildlife tags on smaller animals is limited by the mass of the devices. Micro-sized devices with solar panels sometimes solve this challenge, however, nocturnal species or animals living under low light conditions render solar cells all but useless. For larger animals, where battery weight can be higher, battery longevity becomes the main challenge. Several studies have proposed solutions to these limitations, including harvesting thermal and kinetic energy on animals. However, these concepts are limited by size and weight. In this study, we used a small, lightweight kinetic energy harvesting unit as the power source for a custom wildlife tracking device to investigate its suitability for lifetime animal tracking. We integrated a Kinetron MSG32 microgenerator and a state-of-the-art lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) into a custom GPS-enabled tracking device that is capable of remotely transmitting data via the Sigfox 'Internet of Things' network. Prototypes were tested on domestic dog (n = 4), wild-roaming Exmoor pony (n = 1) and wisent (n = 1). One of the domestic dogs generated up to 10.04 joules of energy in a day, while the Exmoor pony and wisent generated on average 0.69 joules and 2.38 joules per day, respectively. Our results show a significant difference in energy generation between animal species and mounting method, but also highlight the potential for this technology to be a meaningful advancement in ecological research requiring lifetime tracking of animals. The design of the Kinefox is provided open source.
Copyright: © 2023 Gregersen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-05-17 PubMed ID: 37196042PubMed Central: PMC10191315DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285930Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research entails an innovative approach to lifelong animal tracking through kinetic energy harvesting. It offers a unique solution to power limitations faced by existing tracking devices, particularly for small or nocturnal creatures where battery size and solar power are not feasible.

Introduction

  • The work highlights the importance of wildlife trackers and the insights they provide on various aspects such as movement, animal migration, resource use, etc.
  • However, the limitations of existing trackers have been pointed out, with the primary challenge revolving around tracking animals for their complete lifetimes.
  • Smaller animals impose severe battery constraints, and low-light conditions make solar power ineffective.
  • While thermal and kinetic energy harvesting have been proposed before, these are hindered by size and weight factors.

Methodology

  • In this research, a small lightweight kinetic energy harvesting unit was used to power custom wildlife tracking devices, investigating its feasibility for lifetime animal tracking.
  • A Kinetron MSG32 microgenerator and a lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) were integrated into a GPS-enabled tracker capable of remote data transmission through the Sigfox network.
  • The tracking device prototype was tested on different species including domestic dogs, Exmoor pony, and wisent.

Results

  • The findings showcase significant differences in energy generation among various animals and different methods of mounting.
  • Dogs successfully generated up to 10.04 joules of energy daily, whereas the Exmoor pony and wisent yielded an average of 0.69 and 2.38 joules per day respectively.

Conclusion and Future Prospects

  • The results affirm the potential of this technology to revolutionize ecological studies that require lifetime animal tracking.
  • The prototype design, named Kinefox, is provided as open-source, inviting improvements and expansions from the scientific community.

Cite This Article

APA
Gregersen T, Wild TA, Havmøller LW, Møller PR, Lenau TA, Wikelski M, Havmøller RW. (2023). A novel kinetic energy harvesting system for lifetime deployments of wildlife trackers. PLoS One, 18(5), e0285930. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285930

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 5
Pages: e0285930
PII: e0285930

Researcher Affiliations

Gregersen, Troels
  • Section for Zoology, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.
  • Section for Engineering Design and Product Development, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
Wild, Timm A
  • Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.
  • Product Development Group Zurich (pd|z), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Havmøller, Linnea Worsøe
  • Section for Zoology, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Møller, Peter Rask
  • Section for Zoology, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lenau, Torben Anker
  • Section for Engineering Design and Product Development, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
Wikelski, Martin
  • Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.
  • Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
  • Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Havmøller, Rasmus Worsøe
  • Section for Zoology, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Dogs
  • Horses
  • Animals, Wild
  • Electric Power Supplies
  • Movement
  • Sunlight

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
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