Our Technology
Terrasense differs from current solutions by mitigating the need for a battery and sedation of an animal in order to attach a tracking collar. Usually, to attach a GPS collar, animals must be immobilized, through darting. This process carries intrinsic risks, including stress, injury, or even death, especially when repeated throughout the animal’s life.
Current collar tech relies on batteries that typically need to be replaced anywhere from as little as four months to two years. Each battery replacement requires darting and handling the animal again, compounding the risks with each intervention.
*for illustrative purposes
While many are working on improving battery life or adding new sensors to bulky collars, we at Terrasense are ditching the battery and also the need for sedation. Our solution will significantly reduce costs which will in turn allow for a major increase in the number of animals being tracked within certain areas. Also, due to the fact that our tech is ultra lightweight (and small) there are added benefits, a reduced aesthetic (no longer will a collar be visible to tourists) and the tiny size will allow monitoring of the smaller species like birds and critters. Altogether this will improve the quality and quantity of data available to researchers and conservationists, making it a powerful tool for wildlife monitoring and conservation efforts.
Representative schematic of our system
The Early Warning System
Once the animals have been tagged with Terrasense's technology, an easy addition is an "Early Warning System" for communities living close to wildlife. Operating on radio frequency alone, devices placed within the community can alert via sound or light that any particular animal, such as a predator is nearby. This is particularly useful for those who own cattle and house them in a boma during the night.
Similarly, the same can be used to protect against cattle theft. With our tags being so cost effective, cattle herds can be tagged and setup to send alerts whenever they leave a perimeter such as a boma.
Illustrative schematic for Early Warning & cattle System
Software
A custom dashboard and mobile app allows only selected users to see live locations of animals and receive alerts
Passive RFID
Our own custom made passive RFID tags work off no batteries, allowing for the tags to be pinged up to 1000 times per day
A non-invasive approach
At our heart we are about the animals, focusing on building technology around the animals rather than forcing them to adapt to it
LoRa Network
When integrated with our RFID tags, LoRa allows us to cover vast areas, all without the need for GSM coverage
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Tags can provide early warning systems to communities with zero need for connectivity, even if the animal is outside of our network
The Components of Terrasense
Bio-Adhesive
Our bio-adhesive allows for animals to be tagged without a collar. Tags can also be attached without the need for sedation
Beacon Species
The Beacon Species concept is a world-first innovation by Terrasense, designed to expand our tracking network using nature itself. By equipping roaming animals like impalas with small, battery-powered receivers, we create a moving detection system that continuously scans for nearby wildlife wearing Terrasense’s battery-free tags.
Why Impalas?
Impalas are prey for the predators we aim to track—lions, leopards, and wild dogs naturally follow them. They also coexist with large herbivores like rhinos and elephants, sharing the same grazing lands and water sources. This makes them ideal mobile tracking nodes, ensuring tagged wildlife are detected regularly as impalas roam vast areas.
This low-cost, scalable solution allows for mass deployment across multiple herds, significantly expanding coverage without relying on fixed infrastructure or expensive satellite tracking. By harnessing natural movement patterns, Terrasense creates an ever-evolving tracking network—a breakthrough in non-invasive conservation technology.
A concept drawing of a Receiving Node
Phases
We currently have 5 Phases planned for Terrasense
1. Prototype Development & Bio adhesive Testing
We will first refine the core technology components of our system while testing the adhesive and remote deployment methods in parallel
Species-Specific Antenna Design: Develop custom RFID antennas tailored to different species, such as pangolin-scale antennas designed for natural integration
Receiver Network Testing: Validate self-administering, solar-powered RF receiver nodes with LoRa-based data transmission, ensuring stable long-range tracking
Software & AI Model Training: Optimize movement analysis models and RF signal filtering to handle large-scale deployments
Bio adhesive Trials Across Species: Test adhesion strength on various hides and fur types under real-world conditions
Ethical Testing of Remote Tagging System
2. Confirmed Pilot Deployment: Pangolin Rehabilitation Centre
We have already secured confirmed partners for our first field deployment:
Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre – A rehabilitation centre focused on pangolins.
Francois Meyer – A leading pangolin conservationist
This confirmed pilot ensures real-world testing with rehabilitated pangolins before their release into the wild
Deploy RFID Tags on Pangolins: Attach custom RFID antennas to rehabilitated pangolins before release
Install Receiver Network: Set up a LoRa-based tracking system across the pilot area to collect real-time tracking data
Field Test Remote Tagging System: Test using non-sedation tagging system, refining distance, pressure, and accuracy
Compare Against GPS Collars: Benchmark accuracy, tracking effectiveness and ruggedness in a real-world environment to prove the system’s superiority
3. Scaling & Multi-Species Expansion
During this phase, we will expand tracking to additional species and begin backend software development for data integration and app functionality
Expand to New Species: Modify RFID antennas for lions, elephants, birds, and reptiles
Formalize Conservation Partnerships: Secure contracts with wildlife reserves
Online sales to commence, enabling one to order to trial Terrasense
Install an Early Warning system. These are solar powered nodes that can be installed in villages or communities that are in close proximity to wildlife, when an elephant or predator enters into a set range on the node, a visual and or auditory alarm will be produced. Unlike current systems, these will require no connection to network, geofence, satellite or any GPS to work
Deploy Additional Receiver Networks: Expand RF tracking grids to cover entire conservation areas
Develop Backend Data Processing & AI Models: Integrate location data, species behaviour, and movement analytics into a secure conservation database
4. Full-Scale Deployment & Documentary Filmmaking
Our initial focus is on Africa, where we will scale tracking across major wildlife reserves and protected areas
Deploy in High-Risk Poaching Areas: Fast-track rollouts in African conservation zones, particularly those with endangered species
Expand Commercial Applications: Explore additional uses in agriculture, ecosystem research, and habitat monitoring
5. Development & Launch of the Interactive App & Data Security Platform
The final phase focuses on securing wildlife data, here collaboration will be key. Now that we will have more data than ever before, it will become important for us to responsibly use this data in the most impactful and responsible way. Our mission of animals first, always will be our compass. The data needs to help conservation, however we also need to make sure we don’t get the data in the hands of poachers
Wildlife Data Security
Terrasense will implement a secure system to prevent poaching risks and unauthorized access to real-time tracking data:
Sensitive species locations (e.g., rhinos) will be stored in an encrypted vault and hidden from public access
Algorithms will control access, ensuring only select members of conservation teams have real-time data, while tourists only see time-delayed locations
Anti-poaching protocols will automatically restrict high-risk data from being misused
Tourist Engagement & Interactive Wildlife Tracking Imagine a family entering Kruger National Park with a tablet or mobile app that offers an interactive experience
Instead of real-time tracking, the app reveals where an animal (e.g., Simba the lion) was last seen yesterday or the day before
As visitors drive through the reserve, they receive location-based alerts, telling them they are near where Simba last hunted, drank water, or crossed a road
Clicking on Simba provides an interactive profile: his pride structure, recent movements, territorial changes, or conflicts with other males
This gamifies wildlife tracking, allowing visitors to engage without interfering with natural behaviours