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Sammamish high school student develops solution to animal-vehicle collisions

By KIRO 7 News Staff
By KIRO 7 News Staff

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — A Sammamish high school student has developed cutting-edge technology that could help reduce animal-vehicle collisions.

Vedant Srinivas, a student at Eastlake High School, developed a system called Eqwis, which enables animal crossing signs to alert drivers when animals are actually present on a road.

His work earned him a $5,000 award at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

The system uses sensors to detect animals on the road and an algorithm that pins down whether they’re moving away or toward a road.

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Radio frequencies then trigger flashing lights on road signs to warn drivers.

The system is already in use in Reno, Nevada. Srinivas has launched his own firm to market his device.

“I’ve received a lot of interest from transportation departments in Washington, California and Oregon to launch Eqwis at a larger scale,” said Srinivas. “I decided that in order to scale this, I’m going to need my own company. It’s not enough for me as one person working in my living room.”

About 1,500 animal-vehicle collisions with 167 injuries to people are reported in the state each year, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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