AI app helps visitors identify donkeys at Isle of Wight Sanctuary

Visitors to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary can now identify their favourite adopted donkeys using an AI-powered mobile app developed by researchers at the University of Southampton.
The app, named Ask ELVIS (Equine Long-range Visual Identification System), allows users to point their phone camera at a donkey, and through facial recognition and machine learning, the app identifies the animal and displays its name and profile.
Currently in development, the app has a 50% identification accuracy—akin to a coin toss—but project lead Dr Xiaohao Cai is confident it will be significantly improved and ready for public use by the end of the year. "We're working to bridge the gap between experimental and real-world accuracy," said Dr Cai.
The project began after sanctuary staff noticed that name collars were causing discomfort and safety risks for the donkeys. In 2023, the collars were removed. "There had been accidents and near misses, so we got rid of them," explained Gordon Pattison, volunteer and trustee at the sanctuary. "But the public still needs a way to identify their adopted donkeys."
Thousands of visitors have adopted donkeys through the sanctuary's fundraising initiative, and many want to reconnect with their chosen animals during visits.
The app pays tribute to a beloved donkey named Elvis, who passed away in 2024. "When the app launches, it greets users with Elvis the donkey, as if you're asking him, 'Who's that donkey over there?'" said Mr Pattison.
In the future, the team hopes to extend the technology to detect early signs of illness in donkeys—an area where AI could offer significant help. "Donkeys are stoic, and don't show obvious signs of illness. AI might help us pick up the subtle clues sooner," added Mr Pattison.
He emphasized the broader lesson: 'AI isn't just for big corporations. With the right idea, anyone can harness it to solve meaningful problems.'

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Hans India

3 days ago

• Hans India

AI app helps visitors identify donkeys at Isle of Wight Sanctuary

Visitors to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary can now identify their favourite adopted donkeys using an AI-powered mobile app developed by researchers at the University of Southampton. The app, named Ask ELVIS (Equine Long-range Visual Identification System), allows users to point their phone camera at a donkey, and through facial recognition and machine learning, the app identifies the animal and displays its name and profile. Currently in development, the app has a 50% identification accuracy—akin to a coin toss—but project lead Dr Xiaohao Cai is confident it will be significantly improved and ready for public use by the end of the year. "We're working to bridge the gap between experimental and real-world accuracy," said Dr Cai. The project began after sanctuary staff noticed that name collars were causing discomfort and safety risks for the donkeys. In 2023, the collars were removed. "There had been accidents and near misses, so we got rid of them," explained Gordon Pattison, volunteer and trustee at the sanctuary. "But the public still needs a way to identify their adopted donkeys." Thousands of visitors have adopted donkeys through the sanctuary's fundraising initiative, and many want to reconnect with their chosen animals during visits. The app pays tribute to a beloved donkey named Elvis, who passed away in 2024. "When the app launches, it greets users with Elvis the donkey, as if you're asking him, 'Who's that donkey over there?'" said Mr Pattison. In the future, the team hopes to extend the technology to detect early signs of illness in donkeys—an area where AI could offer significant help. "Donkeys are stoic, and don't show obvious signs of illness. AI might help us pick up the subtle clues sooner," added Mr Pattison. He emphasized the broader lesson: 'AI isn't just for big corporations. With the right idea, anyone can harness it to solve meaningful problems.'

Scroll.in

13-06-2025

• Scroll.in

Air India crash: What is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's safety record? An expert explains

An Air India plane bound for London Gatwick airport crashed shortly after take-off on June 12 in Ahmedabad. Flight AI171 was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Here, Professor Ali Elham, from the University of Southampton's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, speaks to The Conversation 's Paul Rincon about the plane type involved in the crash, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. How does Boeing's 787 Dreamliner differ from other passenger planes? The Dreamliner was a huge breakthrough in aircraft design. For example, it was the first Boeing aircraft with more than 50% composite material in its structure. In this case, composite material refers mainly to carbon fibre. This carbon fibre was replacing parts of the structure that would have been made from aluminium in previous types of aircraft. This contributed to a huge reduction in aircraft weight. There were many innovations in the 787, making it very different from previous iterations of Boeing aircraft, such as the 747 and 767. The combination of new engines, improved aerodynamics, and significant weight reduction – largely due to the use of composite materials – resulted in notable reductions in both fuel consumption and carbon emissions compared to previous-generation aircraft. Another feature was the greatly increased electrification of the plane, with more use of batteries for onboard power systems. What is the Dreamliner's safety record like? The Dreamliner has a very good safety record and has been flying for many years without significant problems. But when the plane was new, in 2013 or so, there were a few incidents in which the aircraft's lithium-ion batteries overheated, in some cases resulting in smoke or even catching fire, both on the ground and during flight. There were no casualties and the aircraft were all able to land safely. But Boeing grounded all Dreamliners for a few months. Boeing intensively investigated the problem. They redesigned the batteries, they redesigned the battery containers and then they ran tests and an extensive certification process that allowed them to return the Dreamliners to flight. Since then, there have been no incidents with batteries as far as I am aware. Batteries were used instead of getting power from the gas turbines in the engines. The power is used for instruments, for electronics and many other aircraft systems. Increased electrification – getting more of the aircraft's power from batteries – contributes to reducing carbon emissions, because the gas turbines run on kerosene. Do any details currently known about the crash narrow down the search for the cause? It's too early to say anything about the cause of the crash, and as far as I'm aware no official details have been released about the cause. Generally speaking, however, when you investigate air crashes, they often involve a chain of problems. One thing happens, then a number of events follow from that. So it might not be one cause here. This crash occurred shortly after takeoff. While flying is statistically the safest form of transport, the takeoff and landing phases are generally considered the most critical. This is because aircraft operate closer to the ground, with less time and altitude to respond to technical issues or sudden changes. Although not inherently dangerous, these phases carry a higher risk of incidents compared to cruising at altitude. What will the crash investigation focus on? They will investigate everything. They will search for the data recorders (black boxes), which are designed to survive a crash. If these are recovered, investigators will be able to view all the flight data, hear all the cockpit conversations. They will take all the information from the control tower. Sometimes clues can be found from all this data. They will also examine the wreckage of the aircraft in detail. It's a different situation from the Boeing 737 Max groundings, which followed two crashes linked to a specific and repeatable software flaw. Similarly, when the Dreamliner first entered service, a series of battery overheating incidents revealed a systemic issue that led regulators to temporarily ground the fleet. In the current case, unless investigators identify a recurring technical problem that poses an immediate risk to other 787s, a fleet-wide grounding would be unlikely. Safety is always the top priority, but regulatory responses typically depend on whether an issue appears to be isolated or part of a broader pattern. It must be said that the 787 Dreamliner has a very good safety record. It had a very long certification period with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.

The Hindu

09-06-2025

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Global Education Comes to India: How Foreign Universities Are Reshaping Higher Learning

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