Safepath: Protecting Wildlife with Smart Streetlight

With the increased number of roads passing through the forest and rural areas, the chances of animal-vehicle collisions are also on the rise, which is a major threat to the lives of humans as well as the wildlife. The existing safety measures such as the display of warning boards and the usage of reflecting signs are not effective as they cannot send immediate alerts. Keeping this issue in view, this paper proposes a smart streetlight system known as SafePath that can detect the presence of animals near the road and alert the driver immediately. The proposed system includes the usage of Passive Infrared (PIR) and thermal camera sensors to detect the presence of animals based on the motion and heat of the bodies of the animals, especially at night. An LDR sensor is also used to operate the system at night only. As soon as the system detects the presence of an animal, the color of the streetlight changes from white to red, which is enough to alert the approaching vehicles. The system also includes the usage of wireless communication modules to trigger the streetlights near the road, which creates a chain reaction to alert the approaching vehicles. The power source for the system is solar power, hence suitable for use in remote areas and environmentally friendly. The design of the entire system allows for automation, efficiency, and responsiveness. The focus of this project is on enhancing road safety, wildlife protection, and creating a viable option for the development of smart transportation systems.