The project NestGuard Lite was announced by Oliver Bendel at the FHNW School of Business and is set to begin in February 2026. NestGuard Lite is a lightweight protection system designed to safeguard nesting and breeding sites of wild animals such as ground-nesting birds, small mammals, and amphibians. These animals are often endangered by lawn mowers, robotic mowers, agricultural machines, drones, and construction or maintenance vehicles, which can unintentionally destroy nests or cause serious injuries. Unlike existing approaches that rely on cameras, animal detection, or manual markings, NestGuard Lite avoids surveillance and classification altogether. Instead, the environment provides the signal: passive markers or local radio zones inform machines that they are approaching a sensitive area. Upon detection, a machine automatically switches into a predefined protection mode, for example by slowing down, disabling tools, rerouting, or stopping. The system does not identify animals or assess their condition; it merely signals the need for caution. The project focuses on technical simplicity, robustness, and ethical soundness. It will result in a functional prototype that is tested in a controlled setting, demonstrating how machines can protect wildlife without monitoring or tracking animals.

Fig.: A system designed to safeguard nesting and breeding sites