DOI
10.5703/1288284318524
Description
In the Andean region of Peru, alpacas are more than animals. They are a lifeline for entire families who rely on them. Shepherds, many of whom live in remote mountain areas, spend countless hours watching over their herds. Without fences or boundaries, alpacas can spread out for miles, sometimes vanishing behind valleys or hills. When this happens, shepherds may spend hours searching for them. In these high-altitude areas, phone signals are rare, and internet connections are unreliable. As a result, families face stress, lost time, and even financial losses when animals go missing. At Purdue’s Tiny Lab, we focus on designing practical, affordable technologies that meet community needs. For this project, we created a solid geolocation system tailored for alpaca herding in Peru by using LoRaWAN, a communication method that uses low-power, long-range radio signals, sending information over several miles using very little battery power, making it perfect for places with no traditional coverage. Tiny transmitters are placed on alpacas. Each device sends out signals that include the animal’s position; these signals travel wirelessly using LoRa to a receiver device built with a Raspberry Pi. The receiver displays the alpacas’ locations, so shepherds can carry this receiver into the field and instantly see where their animals are. By combining open-source technology, energy efficiency, and community training, we hope to demonstrate that innovation can be simple, practical, and deeply human-centered.
A smarter way to watch over alpacas in Peru
In the Andean region of Peru, alpacas are more than animals. They are a lifeline for entire families who rely on them. Shepherds, many of whom live in remote mountain areas, spend countless hours watching over their herds. Without fences or boundaries, alpacas can spread out for miles, sometimes vanishing behind valleys or hills. When this happens, shepherds may spend hours searching for them. In these high-altitude areas, phone signals are rare, and internet connections are unreliable. As a result, families face stress, lost time, and even financial losses when animals go missing. At Purdue’s Tiny Lab, we focus on designing practical, affordable technologies that meet community needs. For this project, we created a solid geolocation system tailored for alpaca herding in Peru by using LoRaWAN, a communication method that uses low-power, long-range radio signals, sending information over several miles using very little battery power, making it perfect for places with no traditional coverage. Tiny transmitters are placed on alpacas. Each device sends out signals that include the animal’s position; these signals travel wirelessly using LoRa to a receiver device built with a Raspberry Pi. The receiver displays the alpacas’ locations, so shepherds can carry this receiver into the field and instantly see where their animals are. By combining open-source technology, energy efficiency, and community training, we hope to demonstrate that innovation can be simple, practical, and deeply human-centered.