Footage shows AI radar system detects polar bears near workers

A PIONEERING AI radar system designed to detect approaching wildlife and alert people in remote places has captured footage of a family of polar bears for the first time.

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The so-called ‘‘Bear-dar’’ technology combines radar and cameras to sense motion in the surrounding Arctic landscape, then identify and monitor animals nearby.

The aim is to protect both people and polar bears as the impacts of climate change increase the likelihood of dangerous encounters.

Developed by conservation group Polar Bears International and US security firm Spotter Global, the new system was installed at the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) weather station in Eureka, Canada, last August - just under 700 miles south of the North Pole.

It is thought to be the first automated technology of its kind that can detect bears, wolves, birds and other animals across the vast landscape, where it is hard for people to constantly monitor for approaching threats as they carry out their work.