Swede wins prize for moose sensor innovation

Just about every day there is an accident involving a moose in Sweden. 

  • A Swedish man has won a Guldälgen ("Golden Moose" or "Golden Elk") award for inventing a motion sensor system that could potentially reduce the number of wildlife accidents on rural roads. Winner Benjamin Eliasson of Stockholm has developed a sensor system to be hung on trees and poles near roads in unfenced areas where moose and other large animals live and graze. The sensors detect movement of the nearby animals and send a signal to the roadside poles, prompting a light to flash and alert drivers to proceed with caution. The innovation prize was awarded September 8 by Älgskadefondsföreningen, a non-profit organization working to reduce road accidents with animals. In 2015 alone there have been 27,000 incidents of these large animals colliding or near collisions with cars in Sweden. An average moose weighs half a ton, so hitting one is no small matter, often fatal to both car driver and moose. For more info, see www.algen.se/se/guldalgen or www.guld-algen.se