Res. Agr. Eng., 2025, 71(1):60-67 | DOI: 10.17221/88/2024-RAE

Use of thermal imaging camera for wild animal detection along roadsOriginal Paper

Jiří Brožovský1, Veronika Hartová ORCID...1, Martin Kotek ORCID...1, Jan Hart1, Jitka Kumhálová ORCID...1
1 Department of Vehicles and Ground Transport, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Vehicle collisions with wild animals are a common problem on roads, having a significant impact on road safety and wildlife populations. Collisions with wild animals are one of the most frequent road accidents. According to police statistics, there were nearly 16 000 road accidents caused by collisions with animals in the Czech Republic
in 2019. Collisions with deer are the most common. There are several technologies and measures that can help reduce the risk of a vehicle colliding with a wild animal. One of the technologies used is a night vision system based on infrared spectrum sensing. This technology is slowly becoming part of the equipment of, in particular, premium car brands dueto its high cost. This paper tested a low-cost solution using a commercially available thermal imaging camera and found a substantial reduction in the time to detect wild animals along the road, namely in the order of seconds.

Keywords: night vision; active vehicle safety; systems for preventing traffic accidents; traffic accident

Received: November 14, 2024; Accepted: February 14, 2025; Prepublished online: March 18, 2025; Published: March 20, 2025  Show citation

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Brožovský J, Hartová V, Kotek M, Hart J, Kumhálová J. Use of thermal imaging camera for wild animal detection along roads. Res. Agr. Eng. 2025;71(1):60-67. doi: 10.17221/88/2024-RAE.
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