XPRIZE Rainforest
XPRIZE Rainforest is a global five-year, $10 million competition that challenges teams to innovate rapid and autonomous technology to expedite the monitoring of biodiversity and data collection, enhancing our understanding of tropical rainforest ecosystems around the world.
My experience
Throughout 1.5 years with the competition, I helped create an AI system to identify bird species by songs, design the latch mechanism attachment for the drone, and make a drone controller range extender.
I was lucky to be one of six students (out of ~250) selected for the traveling team in the Semi-finals in Singapore and one of four selected to compete in the Amazon Rainforest for the Finals. During the competition, I helped with field work and data analytics. Our team made it and recently competed in the Finals in Brazil.
After the competition, I am working independently to triangulate animal sounds in real-time.
Some moments
Releasing eDNA madule from collected package.
Sensor packages used in the Amazon.
Assemblying the drone-controller range extender.
Sensor packages used in Singapore.
Preparing to survey the rainforest in Singapore.
Sensor packages (ready to be deployed) in the Amazon.
Student team in Singapore post data collection period.
IIT team post data collection period.
Me and Drew (my roommate in Singapore) but in the Amazon this time !
Website and News
- Welcome to the Jungle
- XPRIZE Rainforest Competition
- Meet the tech projects competing for a $10m prize to save rainforests (semifinals)
- At the ‘Biodiversity Olympics,’ scientists work to democratize rainforest tech (finals)
- Morton Arboretum partners with IIT and Purdue in global rainforest competition