Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Dear Expert,

I had a question about my wildlife biology invention. The invention is called the Special Animal Tracking Binoculars. It can make your organism visible by making your organism white and everything else black. It can make you see your organism from 40 miles away. You type the name of the organism you are looking for on the keyboard and it will show up on the small wallet - size screen. Can this invention be created? Has this invention already been created? If so, may you please inform me more about the created invention.

Sincerely,
Matt

Matt,

No, this invention has not been created yet--with our current technology, it is impossible. For one thing, the curvature of the earth is a significant problem at distances of 40 miles. For another, automatic visual tracking software tends to be pretty bad at separating organisms from the background, particularly if there are other organisms around or if our focal animal is not moving or not giving off a heat signature.

That said--search for 'satellite tracking' on your favorite search engine. It is as close as we have come to what I think you are describing.

Another idea is infrared sensing. All living things give off infrared radiation, and we have thermal detectors today that can pick out this radiation and give an outline of the image giving of this radiation. This is used by law enforcement to track fleeing criminals at night. These detectors have a limited range, well under 40 miles and also show rough outlines. However in the future it is conceivable that these detectors could have a much clearer picture.

Here is a website that gives a basic overview of thermal imaging

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ga ... ision2.htm

Hope this helps, Adam

Hi Matt,

You have already gotten some great advice! I just wanted to put in another good word for thermal imaging. (This is the same technology that works for night vision goggles.) While thermal imaging does not work at 40 miles away, it gives you the chance to pick out organisms from the background in low-light situations, or when the organism is well camouflaged. It's also called infrared thermal sensing, and it works because most animals give off light radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum. (The wavelength of light given off is actually proportional to the temperature of the organism or item.)

Post back if you have more questions!

Heather