Camel Donates Saudi Arabia's Economy 534 Million US Dollars/Years, Caring For It Now Can Use The AI System

Three herders with their camels. (ENB Emilie-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Researcher at the University of Science and Technology King Abdullah (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia created an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can track and monitor camels from the air so that they can be used to grazing animals.

According to KAWAST's statement quoted from AN, Sunday, November 16, this low-cost AI drone system promises affordable choice for camel herders to do one of the oldest jobs in Saudi Arabia.

While its benefits for scientists, it is said to learn more about the patterns and habits of camel migration.

Created by Professor Basem Shihada and his lab colleagues at KAWAST, the system leverages low-cost drones and commercial cameras to allow camel herders to track their camels in real-time without relying on expensive GPS collars or satellite connections.

In its research, the team used a single camera mounted on a drone to record videos of a small herd of camels in Saudi Arabia from a height, then trained their AI model using machine learning.

The model reveals new insights into animal behavior.

"We found their migration pattern was not random but showed an identifiable pattern," said NAUST scientist Chun Pong Lau, who was also involved in the project.

Based on KAUST's statement, the camel, especially the old one, shows coordinated grazing migration, travels a long distance throughout the day, but always returns to her herder at sunset.

The camel also shows high sensitivity to the sound of drones, so the NAUST scientists keep drones at least 120 meters above the ground.

For centuries, camels have been the center of life for Arab society by providing transportation, food, and cultural links to the desert.

Currently, camels account for more than SR2 billion or 534 million US dollars per year for the Saudi Arabian economy through industries such as food, textiles, and tourism.

However, the performance of herding camels remains a challenge, as camels roam up to 50 km per day across isolated terrain. The mobility often causes traffic accidents, excessive grazing, and the loss of livestock.

As a next step, Shihada and his colleagues plan to collect videos of larger herd of camels of more heterogeneous size and color to train their AI systems to perform higher.