![\"The](\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2020\/08\/solar-farm-bird-massacre-mystery-ai-bird-watcher-300x158.jpg\")
<\/div>AI Bird Watcher<\/h2>
Solar energy! ‘Might be completely renewable and green and great for the planet, sure. It could also, however, be deadly — if you’re a bird<\/em>.<\/p> But really: A 2016 study<\/a> found that large solar farms in the US accounted for the death of almost 140,000 birds every year. For a while, we only had our best guess as to why solar farms were killing birds at such a scale — for instance, they may have mistaken the reflective panels as the surface of water.<\/p> These theories are far from confirmed. But we may soon know a lot more, courtesy of an artificial intelligence-powered birdwatcher, as Wired<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p> The thinking is that an algorithm can pick out avian behavior and analyze their flying patterns near solar panels. The Department of Energy recently signed a contract with Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to develop a tailor-made AI solution.<\/p> “The machine-learning research we’re doing is a little unique, because we don’t just want to classify an object in a single image,” Adam Szymanski is a software engineer at Argonne, who’s working on the system, told Wired<\/em>.<\/p> “It has to classify a small, fast-moving object over time,” he added. “So if the bird is flying, in some frames you’ll see a dot and in others you’ll see its wings out, and we need to track that object as it moves across the camera.”<\/p> Ironically, the bird watcher will likely rely on solar panels on its own. Using and adapting a camera system designed to monitor pedestrians and cars, the team is planning to mount the bird watcher on top of a solar panel.<\/p> The goal? To eventually figure out how bird behavior changes around solar panels and ensure that birds are protected in the future.<\/p> READ MORE: <\/strong>Why Do Solar Farms Kill Birds? Call in the AI Bird Watcher<\/a> [Wired<\/em>] More on AI:<\/strong> Elon Musk: If You Don’t Think AI Could Outsmart You, You’re an Idiot<\/a><\/em><\/p> The post Scientists Are Using an “AI Bird Watcher” to Solve a Solar Farm Bird Massacre Mystery<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Read more here: AI Bird Watcher Solar energy! \u2018Might be completely renewable and green and great for the planet, sure. Continue reading Bird Algorithms<\/h2>
Perched on a Solar Panel<\/h2>
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Scientists Are Using an “AI Bird Watcher” to Solve a Solar Farm Bird Massacre Mystery<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"