BALTIMORE SUN (Maryland) 05 July 07 Turtles get computer beacons - Scientists in Mass. use devices to track snappers' movement

Deerfield, Mass. (AP): From the way he thrashed, kicked and tried to make a getaway, M16 made it clear he didn't like human contact. But the researchers wrangling with him could be helping to save his species.

Despite his best efforts to escape the clutches of two scientists from the University of Massachusetts and get back to the swamp he was just lifted from, the 40-pound snapping turtle finally gave up and let Mike Jones and Matt Garber do their jobs.

Using orthodontic cement and duct tape, the students attached a postcard-size waterproof computer to the turtle's shell. After christening the 16th male turtle he found in the area "M16," Jones scribbled some information about the turtle's shell markings into a field book and set the snapper free.

In an experiment along the Deerfield River in western Massachusetts, two groups of researchers are working together: computer engineers such as Garber who are testing a new wireless communication network, and biologists such as Jones who are tracking snapping turtles - a species they worry could be headed for decline as development shrinks its habitat.

The idea behind the technology is to create a network of constantly moving devices that record and store information, transmit data from one device to another, then relay all the information to a central location.

"A lot of the existing technology works great as long as you're not moving around and you have stable networks and people who could recharge batteries," said Jacob Sorber, a doctoral candidate in computer science who designed the TurtleNet project, funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.

The solar-powered computers are light enough that they don't weigh the turtles down, and they don't interrupt their mating, Jones said.

Stuck to the shells of turtles found in spots near the Deerfield swamp, the gadgets will take readings of the reptiles' location and body temperature.

When one computer-carrying snapper gets within a tenth of a mile of another, the machines swap information. The series of short-distance transmissions allows for long battery life in each computer, and the solar panels attached to the units are expected to keep the batteries charged. Without a relay system, a longer transmission would require a larger battery that would drain too quickly or be too big for a turtle to carry.

The turtle-to-turtle relay ends when one of the snappers passes near a single base station that receives all the accumulated information.

Working like a cell phone sending a text message, the base station zaps the data to the UMass-Amherst campus about 15 miles away, where biologists are charting each turtle's whereabouts.

"We're trying to get a better idea of their range, the routes they take and where they hibernate," said Jones, who is working on a doctoral degree in biology.



http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.turtles05jul05,0,6618325.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]