A group of scientists from the Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus has developed an application that tracks sea turtles laying eggs on the shore during certain periods of the year using artificial intelligence (AI)-equipped UAVs.

Prof. Dr. Yeliz Yeşilada, a faculty member of the Computer Engineering Department at METU, said they have added a project course to the curriculum where engineering students from various fields can collaborate.

In this context, Yeşilada stated that they are working on a project related to sea turtles coming to lay eggs on the shores of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) during certain periods.

They developed a machine learning-based system that automatically notifies when turtles come to the shore.

“We are trying to build artificial intelligence to assist volunteers in their protection activities. This way, we aim to prevent other animals on the beach from harming the turtles when the loggerhead turtles hatch from the eggs,” she said.

Yeşilada also mentioned that following this project, they have started a new study to identify the moments when baby turtles hatch from their eggs.