XPRIZE Announces Finalists for Rainforest Competition: The Best Use of Drones for Conservation

XPRIZE Announces Finalists for Rainforest Competition

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

Recently, XPRIZE announced 6 finalists for its $10,000,000 Rainforest competition to develop new biodiversity assessment technologies, all featuring the use of UAV technology and drones to improve scientific research and conservation in these increasingly endangered ecosystems.

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As XPRIZE stated in their press release, “Successful competing teams must demonstrate their technology’s scalability to measurably improve biodiversity monitoring, and include a process to improve autonomous and rapid data integration that provides unprecedented levels of detail in real time”. In their press release, Peter Houlihan, EVP of Biodiversity and Conservation for Xprize, stated, “We cannot effectively protect what we cannot accurately measure and understand. I’m extremely encouraged by the advancements these teams have made to develop new, more rapid ways of measuring biodiversity that can improve conservation efforts worldwide.”

The final teams were selected after a 24-hour live test in the forests of Singapore, where they were tested on their ability to capture not only images, but bioacoustics, DNA samples, and physical material. They include the Brazilian Team, based out of São Paulo, Brazil, whose design integrates drones mounted with pruners designed to gather environmental DNA (eDNA), alongside a sensor array and ground robotics. A team from ETH Zurich, Biodivx, developed a drone solution integrated with “backpack tech” designed to scalably and affordably scan complex ecosystems with AI and citizen science. Map Of Life, a team based out of New Haven, Connecticut, unveiled their fleet-based semi-autonomous drone model, fitted with cameras and bioacoustic sensors. Providence Plus, from Barcelona, Spain, offered up their DROP platform, (Deep-Rainforest Operational Platform), a low-cost sensor solution delivered by drones designed specifically to analyze otherwise difficult-to-reach canopy zones using AI. Illinois-based Welcome To The Jungle is using their drone-delivered audiovisual sensors, which can easily be retrieved, to focus on birds, combined with aerial analysis. Finally, Colorado-based Team Waponi unveiled their mesh-based “Limelight” system, which after being delivered by drone, lowers itself to the forest floor.

XPRIZE hopes that this contest spurs further innovation when it comes to biodiversity mapping, which is vital to both understanding and protecting vulnerable ecosystems. The final phase of the competition will occur next year in a yet-to-be-announced remote location, where teams will have 24 hours to scan 100 hectares of tropical rainforest, and then compete to produce the most impactful insights in 48 hours.

Read more:

• Drones and High Resolution Lenses Protect Wildlife Around the World: Quantum Systems and Wilderness International in Peru
• Drones, Thermal Images and Koala Conservation
• Conservation: Using Drones to Stem The Plastic Tide
• Drones for Environmental Protection: Oceans Unmanned and The Ocean Cleanup Join Forces

Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.