Keeping Birds Safe: Mandai Wildlife Group Wins SBR Technology Excellence Award for AI - Hospitality & Leisure Services

The self-funded zoological institution based in Singapore employs cutting-edge AI to enhance the welfare of birds in the country’s new bird park.

Mandai Wildlife Group's innovative AI-powered solution to aviary mesh monitoring has been recognised by the prestigious SBR Technology Excellence Awards in the Hospitality & Leisure category. The project aims to ensure the safety and welfare of the birds under their care by detecting potential breaches or points of weakness in the aviary wire mesh with minimal human intervention.

The management and maintenance of aviary meshing in the wildlife parks, especially in Bird Paradise, is critical to the animals’ safety. Human inspection of the aviaries is typically labour-intensive and time-consuming. These scans may also be subject to human error. Environmental issues, such as sun glare, poor visibility, and weather conditions, pose challenges to manual inspection, making it challenging to detect weak points or breaches in the mesh.

To address these challenges, Mandai Wildlife Group worked with Delta Electronics International to develop and trial an autonomous real-time mesh monitoring system. The solution design and core technology are based on vibration actuators and sensors installed across the mesh surface, which is segmented into multiple zones. 

The vibration actuators generate known pulses on the mesh at predetermined time intervals, which are detected by the vibration sensors before the information is transmitted over the network grid. The real-time AI server analyses the data for condition monitoring and anomaly detection, aiding in identifying the vibration patterns and detecting anomalies in real-time.

The system's innovative features are autonomous, intelligent, and effective. The system detects breaches and points of weakness in the aviary wire mesh without the need for human intervention and manual inspections. The AI analysis provides valuable insights into the condition of the aviary wire mesh, allowing for preventive maintenance and reducing the need for reactive repair. 

In addition to that, the system will improve staff safety by reducing the need for staff to work at elevated heights, minimising incidents. The technology has also been validated to not affect animal welfare.

The project's proof-of-concept success metrics include a high desired probability of detection and a low desired false alarm rate, all deployed hardware blending in with the surrounding aviary mesh, and optimising size-weight-power and battery life.

According to Mandai Wildlife Group, this groundbreaking innovation not only enhances efficiency and effectiveness but also establishes a model for upcoming projects in animal exhibits and other industries that utilise mesh. 

The success of this project speaks volumes about the potential of technology to enhance and improve the safety and well-being of animals under human care.

Mandai Wildlife Group manages Singapore’s wildlife parks, including the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, and the new Bird Paradise. 

The SBR Technology Excellence Awards is presented by Singapore Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding contributions in pursuit of technological innovation, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].