Introducing: Turtle Tech!

Element Hope is proud to announce that we have recently filed for patent on our sea turtle hatching detection system, aka Turtle Tech!

The hatching process is a precarious one for new hatchlings. Turtles make their nests in loosely packed material, often sand or gravel. The mother safely nests the eggs, but when the time comes, it falls the to the hatchlings to make it safely from the shore to the sea.

In their journey from land to sea, the newborn turtles can face a variety of threats, including excessive heat, natural predation, human poaching and more. Many species of sea and freshwater turtles are classified as threatened or endangered; as such, ensuring the safety of these newborn hatchlings is vital in supporting the population recovery of these species.

This is the core issue that Turtle Tech aims to address; through non-intrusive subsurface detection, enabled by ultra-wideband impulse radar, the device immediately alerts conservationists once the hatching process begins. Once made aware, conservationists can take whatever action is necessary to ensure the safe passage of hatchlings to the sea, whether that means shielding them from a hot sun, or shooing away local wildlife.

This tech, the first of its kind to non-intrusively implement this method of subsurface detection, is key in supporting the efforts of conservationists. Where before teams of people may have had to take alternating shifts watching the nest, they can now rest easy knowing that the device will alert them to any activity.

We’re very excited to share this update; to keep posted on Turtle Tech, make sure to follow us on Facebook @elementhopeH2O, and on Twitter @element_hope!