A roadside detection system to help protect endangered leopard cats from being hit by passing vehicles was unveiled on Friday in northern Taiwan.
The system, the first of its kind, was developed by the Endemic Species Research Institute and National Chung Hsing University in a project initiated by the Directorate-General of Highways.
It uses thermal imaging cameras and artificial intelligence-powered recognition software to identify leopard cats and display a warning message on a traffic sign 1km ahead of where the animal is detected.
Photo: CNA
The system warns drivers and gives them time to take precautions, said Chiang Ya-yu (蔣雅郁), an assistant professor at the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.
It emits pulsing lights and sound to discourage the animal from crossing the road, Chiang said.
The system, installed on the Jhuolan section of Provincial Highway No. 3, can also detect Chinese ferret-badgers and Formosan gem-faced civets, Chiang added.
Sixteen cameras have been set up along the stretch of road to collect data, the highway authority said, adding that depending on the results, it might expand the system to other places.
There are less than 500 leopard cats in the wild nationwide, and most can be found in Taichung, and Miaoli and Nantou counties, the Leopard Cat Association of Taiwan said.
Four leopard cats have been reported killed by traffic so far this year.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
RSS