| Exclusive to CES 2024, Tech for Nature startup, Bird Buddy has revealed its new concept product, the Smart Perch. Winning two CES Innovation Awards for AI and Smart Home, the Smart Perch is set to change bird recognition and tracking practices with the first ever non-invasive method. This allows Smart Bird Feeder users to deepen their connection with their favorite avian friends, naming and recognizing them on a daily basis, as well as welcoming them back after their long annual migration. Since launching their original product, the Smart Bird Feeder, on Kickstarter three years ago, Bird Buddy has developed built-in AI which recognizes over 1000 bird species worldwide. Building on that foundation, the Smart Perch has been created to recognize the actual individual visiting bird(s). Bird Buddy’s researchers and engineers experimented and tested numerous methods to accomplish individual bird recognition. These included using bird eye scans, the form, texture, size or shape of the bird as a whole (including its body outline) or of various anatomical features of the bird, the bird’s plumage color and patterns, and how the bird moves and its posture. Ultimately, the team were able to show that recognizing patterns on a bird’s feet, which have much the same type of imprint as a human fingerprint, delivered superior results. With this revolutionary concept, the Smart Perch could greatly enhance future interactions with nature delivering positive impacts for bird lovers and scientists. With Bird Buddy’s AI processing data to define that unique identification, individual birds can be identified and tracked across the feeder network, providing high value datasets for conservationists and scientists. For the user, they are now confident in identifying a specific bird, turning this interaction with nature into a highly engaging game as well as naming individual birds welcoming them into their family. The Smart Perch has been designed to be easily attachable to Bird Buddy’s Smart Bird Feeder. Speaking about their award win, Franci Zidar, Co-founder and CEO, said: “It’s fantastic that our product has received such CES awards and accolades at its concept stage. At the heart of our company, is our passion to reconnect as many people as possible with nature, and enable them to give back. Our Smart Perch product looks to further that relationship; by recognizing the individual bird, our community can then see how often they visit, where else they may go across our network, as well as being able to name them. We know, having talked to our community, how happy their Smart Bird Feeder makes them and the concept of our Smart Perch is to enhance that joy and fulfillment.” “The product is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to not deter from normal wildlife behavior. We hope this concept product will deliver for the scientific community in providing the first non-invasive tracking capability. This could provide significant data and information on birds’ migratory habits and their response to climate change. It’s all about empowering people to make a difference from their own backyard.” |
