A team from National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) has developed a solar-powered infrared “invisible” fencing system to help farmers in Hualien County prevent theft of their crops.
Initiated as a project by the university’s Energy Technology Center, the infrared system establishes a detection fence that is not visible to the naked eye, removing the unsightliness of physical fences. The system sounds an alarm when trespassers are detected, while a mobile app alerts farmers and notifies local police of the intrusion.
Using solar power, the system does not add to energy costs.
Photo courtesy of NDHU via CNA
Pai Yi-hao (白益豪), an associate professor at the university and director of the technology center, said the team began working on the project earlier this year.
Professors and students at the technology center engineered the system’s infrared sensors and the electronic transmitters, along with the waterproof shell that houses the intricate electronics.
The team also ensured that the solar power design was stable, and that farmers could use the Line app to receive alerts and notifications, Pai said.
The project was not without setbacks. In one of its first installations, in a Hualien watermelon field, the system’s signal was weak and unstable due to the area’s geography. Chunghwa Telecom stepped in to help by boosting its signal strength, Pai said.
NDHU’s University Social Responsibility Office, which is in charge of the school’s social outreach program in Hualien, selected several watermelon farms covering about 40 hectares for the technology.
The farms were selected for having sufficient exposure to sunlight, creating optimal conditions for solar power collection, the office said.
Local farmers who were presented with the technology said they were grateful that they would not have to be so anxious about theft from their fields at night, it said.
Ninth graders were asked to define “trolling” on this year’s standardized exam, reflecting efforts to make the test better reflect real-life situations. Adjustments to this year’s Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students were revealed on Sunday, after the last cohort of students completed the test over the weekend. The Ministry of Education solicited feedback about the test from teachers, who approved of the new question in the English portion. Not only was question No. 20 “very much in line with real-life situations,” but it also used a new style in which students were asked to ascertain the correct dictionary definition based
Taiwan is on alert for monkeypox, a rare viral disease that has caused 87 infections in 11 countries over the past three weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday. The WHO on Friday convened an emergency session to discuss a sudden outbreak of monkeypox in North America and Europe. Since the beginning of this month, 87 confirmed cases and 28 possible cases have been identified in 11 countries. The countries with the highest case counts are England with 29 cases, and Portugal and Spain with 23 each. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease occurring primarily in the tropical rainforest areas
ADAPTING: The CECC said the policy change would happen this week at the earliest, while PCR testing stations would be used to diagnose people and prescribe drugs The general public would be able to use a positive rapid test result that has been confirmed by a doctor for COVID-19 diagnosis starting later this week at the soonest, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 79,441 new local infections and 53 deaths. The center on Saturday announced that it was expanding the rapid test diagnosis policy to people living in indigenous townships and outlying islands, starting today. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, yesterday said the policy might be further expanded to include “all people” this week, at the soonest. He
About 47 percent of people whose deaths were related to COVID-19 this year have died within three days of testing positive, while 33 percent died within three to seven days, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the center’s spokesman, said 66,247 new local cases, 36 imported cases and 40 deaths were confirmed yesterday. As the number of daily confirmed cases has dropped in the past four days, from 90,331 cases on Thursday last week to 66,247 cases yesterday, the center was asked if Taiwan has reached the peak of a
RSS