Plan Bee System
Why in News?
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) announced that its combined safety measures—including AI-based alerts, speed restrictions, and the Plan Bee audio systems—successfully prevented train-elephant collisions and saved 255 elephants from crossing onto railway tracks.
Key Details of Plan Bee System
- What it is: It is an innovative acoustic (sound-based) deterrent system designed by the Indian Railways to prevent wild elephants from wandering onto railway tracks and getting hit by speeding trains.
- The Mechanism: The device plays a highly amplified buzzing sound of a swarm of honeybees.
- The Science: Elephants have a natural fear of honeybees, as swarms can painfully sting the highly sensitive areas around their eyes, ears, and trunks. The sound acts as a natural repellent, prompting the herds to move away from the tracks.
- Audibility Range: The bee-buzzing sound generated by these trackside speakers can be heard by elephants from a distance of 400 to 700 metres away, giving them ample time to retreat.
- Deployment: Developed initially by the NFR's Rangiya Division, the first prototype was tested near the Guwahati/Kamakhya station in Assam around 2017. It has now been expanded to over 56 vulnerable locations across multi-state forest tracks.
- Recognition: The initiative was highly praised within the network and won the Indian Railways' Best Innovation Award.
Integrated Elephant Safety Measures
While Plan Bee serves as a localized acoustic buffer, Indian Railways has deployed a multi-layered defence mechanism across elephant corridors:
While Plan Bee serves as a localized acoustic buffer, Indian Railways has deployed a multi-layered defence mechanism across elephant corridors:
- AI Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Utilizes Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) fiber cables to pick up the ground vibrations of moving elephant herds in real-time, instantly alerting train pilots.
- Infrastructure & Logistics: Building dedicated underpasses and ramps for wildlife crossing, clearing trackside vegetation for better visibility, enforcing strict speed limits, and deploying manual foot-trackers.
