What exactly is the ‘daily diary’ device?

In layman’s terms, it’s a device that you put on an animal to tell you fundamental things about what that animal does: where it goes, its behaviour, where it lives, the energy it expends and the behaviours that it undertakes. In a nutshell, it’s like having someone walk behind you during every second of the day – for just one day or a year – writing down every single thing that you
do, including your speed, direction, position and energy expenditure, as well as the environmental conditions around you: temperature and light intensity, air (or water) pressure, temperature and humidity. I really believe that this is the most fundamentally important thing for understanding wild animals in the natural environment for a long time, maybe even ever.

Why did you develop the device?

Well, it’s been a gradual thing. The initial question, which arose during my PhD research 25 years ago, concerned the conservation of African penguins in South Africa and, specifically, what they were feeding on. For every question that was answered, ten new
ones would pop up. But these questions couldn’t be answered using conventional technology – there just wasn’t anything around – so I went out and had a bash at it myself and started developing primitive technologies. I had to understand what the penguins were doing while they were at sea – when I couldn’t see them. Observing them from a boat or while diving just wasn’t working. And now, 24 devices later, this device can be used to monitor animals that we have difficulty seeing, such as bats, sperm whales and animals that move huge distances or live underground, as well as those we think that we know through direct observation. We can find out a whole lot more about their behaviour, because at the moment, by being there observing it, you’re affecting it.

How have you built the latest device?

I would be stupid to assume that I could resolve all the technical, mathematical, software and hardware issues that arise with the daily diary. I started out making my own devices and now it’s gone well over my head – I couldn’t do the electronics, the mathematics, building the hardware and software or moulding of the resin for the outer shell – it’s like open-heart surgery – the thing is bristling with sensors, touch it and it won’t work anymore. The whole project is utterly dependant on so many other people. I need these specialists.

Have you patented the device?

No, I haven’t tried patenting it – it isn’t really an incredible new technology, rather it’s an assembly of various existing technologies that are available to buy – what would I patent? Also, I want this to be available to the biological community; accessible to everybody. Never mind the stupid one-upmanship of getting the results before someone else. The device goes way beyond personal gain and into conservation issues and even animal welfare.

Outside of conservation, what other uses might the device have?

Well, it has so much potential. I see it quite easily being put to use on humans, to monitor the effects of a particular condition or medication perhaps. Or, it could be used to monitor the wellbeing of pets to help prevent owners from over-feeding them, or maybe we could put the device on a cow to find out how bothered they are by being transported. You could even leave
a device in the inter-tidal zone and monitor the tide coming in and out, measure wave conditions and water turbidity. It monitors the surrounding environment and it monitors whatever’s carrying it so, potentially, it could have a number of applications.

How did you feel when you realised you’d won?

Until now, it has been a really difficult battle to get funding. I received so many rejections because many funding bodies will only support hypothesis testing – there’s no provision for methodological developments. I’m almost immune to it now, but it nearly broke me in the beginning. After years and years in development stages, I’ve only managed to get €2,000 (£1,339) – for the whole thing. The night before I got the good news, I’d just been turned down by another funding body and the next morning I received the phone call from Rolex. It was like a warm shower. The principle behind the Rolex Awards is a belief in you. It’s much more than an acknowledgment that the project is good, it’s far more a belief in your ability to carry the project forward.

What do you have planned for the US$100,000 prize money?

In essence, the prize money will go towards the technology – buying them, making them, testing them – laptops, elastic for the harnesses to fit the devices to animals, respirometry equipment, travel… it can be spent many times over.