In Atka Bay in Antarctica, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are observing
The four-wheeled robot is part of a 30-year program.WHOI, launched in 2017 under the title “Monitoring the health of the Antarctic marine ecosystems using the emperor penguin as a sentinel,” or MARE (Monitor the health of the Antarctic marine ecosystems using the emperor penguin as a sentinel). Project MARE tracks emperor penguins and uses them as indicators of the overall health of the Antarctic ecosystem. The project documents how well penguins adapt to climate change and its impact on the abundance and distribution of the fish they eat, WHOI said in a statement.
The purpose of ECHO is to eliminate anythe presence of a human from penguin research, as counting and cataloging thousands of individuals is time-consuming and can be stressful for the animals. Using an autonomous robot as a spy is a great alternative, scientists say. Ultimately, this work will save the penguins.
To make ECHO the ideal surveillance toolto monitor the animals, scientists equipped the 0.9 m tall rover with lidar and GPS technology for autonomous navigation. The robot is also equipped with sensors that help researchers monitor the size of the penguin colony and track the movements and behavior of individual individuals.
For example, RFID antenna(RFID) scans tiny RFID tags that scientists implanted in penguin chicks when they were about five months old. Since Project MARE began, researchers have tagged about 300 penguin chicks each year, according to WHOI. Once ECHO is in range From the penguin's RFID tags—at a distance of about 86 centimeters—the robot receives information about the individual's overall fitness and breeding status. As well as oceanographic data on when the animal was last at sea. A 360-degree camera allows scientists to identify individual penguins encountered by ECHO, while GPS data shows the birds' distribution and habitat.
Emperor penguins do not have naturalpredators in Antarctica. They are therefore good subjects for study by scientists who want to understand how animals are affected by ecosystem fluctuations caused by climate change.
WHOI researchers plan to modify ECHOto collect more data, such as on penguin feeding and reproductive behavior, as well as what is happening within the flock. They want to study their social behavior, in which the colony gathers together to stay warm and conserve energy. To penetrate the penguin aggregation, the researchers plan to place ECHO inside a 3D-printed replica of an ice block. WHOI experts believe that this disguise will allow the robot to collect data on penguins while the birds are in close contact with each other.
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