August 7, 2007

TurtleNet - Connecting turtles wirelessly

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"We are currently investigating methods to use DTNs, energy management, and programming languages to improve the state of the art in tracking small, mobile wildlife." --TurtleNet Mark D. Corner, Emery D. Berger and Brian Levine, faculty at UMass Amherst, are done with that old staple of animal wildlife studies--traipsing through the woods searching for radio-tagged animals. Besides, why use methods that require you to actually see an animal when your WiFi-enabled, solar-powered computer is small enough to simply glue onto the back of a snapper, where its GPS receiver can intermittently record the location of the animal.

A sensor platform such as a Crossbow Mica2Dot, a GPS receiver, a flexible solar panel, and a small 250mAhr lithium polymer battery are within the acceptable weight and size requirements for studying these animals... Our goal is to provide a simple networking, energy managment, and programming that meets these needs.

UMass Faculty Mike Jones handling a snapper. The TinyNode with battery and GPS unit. Mike Jones again, holding a freshly-netted snapper. (Is that excitement or dread on that turtle's face?)

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