Africa Turns To Robot Rhino To Combat Poachers, Aims To Curb $19B Industry

Poaching has been a huge issue in Africa for a long time, with the business of illegally procuring and selling of endangered species parts becoming a lucrative industry despite all the steps taken to combat the practice. One of the newest methods devised to fight poachers is the use of robotic rhinos, which will be used to constantly monitor and even guard herds of the endangered species.

African Rhinos are among the many species on the continent currently under the protection of the government. Even so, over 1,175 of the animals were killed by poachers in 2015 alone, so current standards are simply not working. This is where the idea to introduce a mechanical rhino into herds was brought up by engineer Kaan Yayalali called the Rakamera, Futurism reports.

The basic premise behind the concept is to place a robotic subject among herds of the endangered species. If the herd accepts the mechanical mimic, it can then keep an eye out for poachers or other dangers while accompanying the creatures.

In terms of how this would be done, the robot would be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and would move via hydraulics and servomotors covered by a suitable exterior. As for the monitoring tools, the Rakamera will be equipped with sensors and several cameras that will be capable of tracking movements from both the herd and any trespassers that come close.

Yayalali wrote a piece about this concept, which was published on WIRED, where he shared where he got the inspiration for the project. According to him, it was a Canadian photographer named Gregory Colbert who gave him the idea to create the Rakamera.

Yayalali readily admitted that he himself is not an expert on animals. He is, however, an expert when it comes to technology based on his other contributions, including the Rokko currency system.