RIYADH: A research team at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has created a low-cost, AI-powered drone system that can recognize and track camels from the air.
The system promises an affordable option for camel herders to continue one of Saudi Arabia’s oldest labors and for scientists to learn more about camel migration patterns and habits, according to a KAUST press release.
Created by Professor Basem Shihada and his labmates, the system uses inexpensive commercial drones and cameras to enable camel herders to track their camels in real time without relying on expensive GPS collars or satellite connections.
The team used a single drone-mounted camera to capture aerial footage of small camel herds in Saudi Arabia, then trained their AI model using machine learning. The model revealed new insights into the animals’ behaviors.
“We found their migration patterns were not random but showed identifiable patterns,” said KAUST scientist Chun Pong Lau, who was also involved in the project.
