Through means of sensors and transmitters, an animal detection system aims to feed message boards for drivers hundreds of meters before wild specimen can cross the road. Source: Fernanda Delborgo Abra / ViaFauna Vehicle collisions with wildlife not only threaten the safety of the animals, accidents also put humans at risk for injury or death and vehicles at risk for costly repairs. Now, thanks to a road mitigation startup, these costly and potentially life-threatening collisions might be avoidable.

A prototype of a roadside animal detection system from Brazilian firm ViaFauna includes a set of motion sensors mounted on poles that can be spaced 100 miles apart.

"Each pair of sensors covers a roadkill hotspot," Fernanda Delborgo Abra, founder of ViaFauna explains.

Communicating via an invisible infrared beam of light, the sensors signal the poles once the beam has been tripped, which either can communicate that information by radio or by activating a revolving light atop an animal crossing sign.

"Our detection system warns drivers hundreds of meters or even a kilometer or two ahead of an actual animal crossing, giving them time to take precautions," says Abra. "This system is far more effective than a mere sign warning that wildlife may cross the road. When drivers see static warning signs, they never know when animals will actually cross, and so they tend not to pay too much attention."

The prototype of the system will continue to undergo testing with a focus on how it holds up under extreme weather conditions.