Flox Intelligence builds edge devices running on-device AI models to deter wildlife from critical infrastructure like rail lines and airfields using sensors and variable audio signals.
To address this issue without simply using loud sirens or fences that animals become accustomed to over time, the company Flox Intelligence has created an artificial intelligence system that intelligently drives animals away.
How the system works
The idea was born from Sara Nozkova, who has worked in the field of transportation and autonomous vehicles for 13 years, in collaboration with the artificial intelligence laboratory at KTH University in Stockholm. The company was launched from the university in 2020.
The system is based on battery-operated devices that are placed on poles or trees. When a motion sensor detects activity, it activates a camera. The device identifies the animal locally and emits the appropriate sound to drive it away.
The program changes the sounds it emits so that animals don't get used to repeated signals. In addition to the devices, the company offers a software platform for monitoring their operation and issuing reports.
Where is it used and what are the goals?
Currently, around 150 Flox devices are in operation at airports, rail corridors, national parks and critical infrastructure sites in North America, Europe and Australia. The company is also working with train manufacturers, such as Alstom, to integrate the software into vehicles.
Flox sells the devices for an upfront fee and charges an annual subscription for the software after the first year. It expects to close 2026 with revenue of about $1,5 million, while other companies in the space include Robin Radar, Scarecrow and iCHASE.
To date, Flox has raised about $5 million in funding from investors including Unconventional Ventures and Tilia Impact Ventures. The company is a finalist in the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco and is launching a new $10 million investment round to grow its active devices from 150 to several thousand.
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