Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Trained to find survivors during earthquakes, APOPO's HeroRATs got a boost from BYU engineering students who helped design localization trackers that can be worn by rats who assist in search and rescue efforts. Using visual odometry, an inertial measurement unit and machine learning, the Capstone team, composed of electrical and computer engineering students, provided their sponsor with options for tracking in GPS-denied environments. The entire reconnaissance and tracking device, integrated into a small Raspberry Pi computer, must be small and light enough to fit onto a rat backpack, presenting a unique engineering challenge.
With incredible intelligence and a sense of smell that make them ideal collaborators, East African Savanna pouched rats are being trained by the humanitarian organization APOPO to identify landmines, to detect tuberculosis, and now to help find earthquake victims in the rubble of buildings. See APOPO.com to learn more about HeroRATs and inspiring animal-human collaborations.
Trained to find survivors during earthquakes, APOPO's HeroRATs got a boost from BYU engineering students who helped design localization trackers that can be worn by rats who assist in search and rescue efforts. Using visual odometry, an inertial measurement unit and machine learning, the Capstone team, composed of electrical and computer engineering students, provided their sponsor with options for tracking in GPS-denied environments. The entire reconnaissance and tracking device, integrated into a small Raspberry Pi computer, must be small and light enough to fit onto a rat backpack, presenting a unique engineering challenge.
With incredible intelligence and a sense of smell that make them ideal collaborators, East African Savanna pouched rats are being trained by the humanitarian organization APOPO to identify landmines, to detect tuberculosis, and now to help find earthquake victims in the rubble of buildings. See APOPO.com to learn more about HeroRATs and inspiring animal-human collaborations.
