Scientists Develop FrogPhone To Measure Wild Frog Population

Technological advancements have helped scientists in their researches in multiple ways. Scientists have now discovered a way to track wild frog populations, without actually leaving the lab. The FrogPhone, an acoustic surveillance device is the answer, say the researchers. The FrogPhone helps in accessing remote survey sites and record the frog calls to measure their population.

FrogPhone To Help Researchers

The FrogPhone is capable of recording frog calls from up to 150 meters away, which is crucial in understanding the health of an ecosystem. The name FrogPhone might seem absurd to many, but the device is going to make ecological research cost-efficient and will save time. Moreover, it's said to record accurate information regarding frog calls.

Researchers will no longer need to repeatedly travel to the research site or far-off remote forest regions each time they require new data. They will need to visit the unique habitats once to set up the FrogPhone receivers. Once set up, they can simply dial in from the comfort of their labs. The unique gadget has both passive acoustic and active monitoring methods.

"The FrogPhone introduces a new concept that allows researchers to 'call' a frog habitat, any time, from anywhere, once the device has been installed," says the research published in the British Ecological Society. The system has a large battery capacity and a powerful solar panel to give it a long life.

FrogPhone: Details

Going into the details, there's a waterproof case on the FrogPhone. It enables the device to float, even to the middle of a pond which is a common habitat for the amphibians. The first generation of the FrogPhone utilizes 3G/4G mobile data "and capitalizes on the characteristic wideband audio of mobile phones, which acts as a carrier for frog calls," the report says.

Plus, the FrogPhone also comes with digital thermal sensors that can collect the data (including water and air temperatures) automatically, in real-time. The environment-monitoring gadget uses an open-source platform that enables the scientist to adapt to the project-specific needs.

The scientist will receive the real-time frog call directly on their smartphone, transmitted across the 3G/4G network. The team is thinking of including multi-directional microphones, broader capabilities for recording other animals' cries, and more on the next generation of the FrogPhone.